Life is Messy

Life is messy. There. I said it.

I bet you're reading this and nodding your head. If not, you are young enough to have not experienced enough of that mess that comes with life. Enjoy this time. I'm serious! Enjoy it!

Most of the messy stuff comes from relationships with others.
     Unmet expectations.
        Disappointments.
          Betrayal.
            Miscommunication.
All of these things contribute to heartaches and that overwhelming feeling of . . .

Life is Messy!! Make it stop!!!

We only need to watch the evening news once to see the messy part of life in high definition, full color, and surround sound. There are plenty of reports of lying, cheating, stealing, murder, and the list goes on. Most of these acts are against another human. This brings to mind a B.J. Thomas song: Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song. Country music is full of lyrics about people doing wrong to others.

Yes, I'll say it again, most of the mess comes from relationships.Someone gets angry at a neighbor or spouse and acts upon their anger. Suddenly they have become the subject of a breaking news story. I'll bet in many cases those people would never have thought that would happen.

The truth is that we live in a fallen world. I know. That's Christianese that I'm speaking. So let me define that phrase for those who don't speak church language. A "fallen world" is the result of Adam's sin as recorded in the book of Genesis. Because of that first sin by Adam, we are all born with that nature to sin. And this sin nature continues to come out in each of us. [I don't want to turn this into a theology lesson so I'll stop here, but that isn't the end of the sin story. I suggest reading the book of John in the New Testament to find out about the remedy.]

Now that we've established that our sin nature is behind most of this messy life, what's next? Let me bring this back around to where I started. Relationships are often difficult. People disappoint me and I disappoint others. Relationship woes have been uppermost in my mind over the past few months. These woes have touched every aspect of my life from coworkers and neighbors to loved ones.

There are two things of which I've been reminded through all of this:

1. We are not battling people, we are battling an Enemy greater than that. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." To put all of this in perspective I must remember when someone I love hurts me, that there is this sin nature at work and Satan is always there ready to tempt me into retaliation. 
2. Retaliation feels good--for a moment. Ephesians 4:26 tells me, "And 'don’t sin by letting anger control you.' Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry." Why should we not let anger control us? Because, as verse 27 so aptly points out, "for anger gives a foothold to the devil." Yep. As soon as I let anger take over, Satan is right there ready to "help me." His kind of "help" may ease the sting temporarily, but nothing good comes from his "help."

Case in point, someone I love dearly did something so unexpected and hurtful to me. After the shock wore off I began mounting my defense. In my mind I began rehearsing what I would like to say and explain how hurtful those actions were to me. In the midst of my hurt I heard a still, small voice in my heart say, "Be angry and sin not." I realized at that moment that while I was planning my own defense I was about to unleash my anger and do something hurtful in return. Yes, it would have felt good at that moment, but only for a moment. Eventually I would have felt worse for inflicting pain. I don't say this to brag about self-control. I say this to confess my own sin nature. It's always lurking.

I was angry because I cared. The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. Think about it. If someone we don't know makes a flippant comment that makes us angry, we're more likely to shrug it off. When someone we love makes the same comment to us, we take that more seriously and are more likely to retaliate. It's those close relationships that we need to be more guarded about.

When those hurts come flying at us like arrows, the book of Ephesians reminds us that we should be wearing our breastplate of righteousness to defend against those arrows. In fact, we are to "Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil" (Eph. 6:11).

Whether we are dealing with a colleague at work who has it in for us or simply dealing with a loved one who has seriously disappointed us, those relationships have a way of provoking our peace. 

How did I handle the situation mentioned previously? I prayed about it and the Lord showed me that I had already explained my side of the story, in detail, prior to this distress. For now, I should remain silent. If there's any vindication, the Lord will handle it. In my situation I am able to put space between me and this person, but if you are unable to distance yourself from the one who offended you, I urge you to seek God's help and direction on how to handle the situation.


For His glory,

Yes, Adam’s one sin brings 

condemnation for everyone, 

but Christ’s one act of righteousness 

brings a right relationship 

with God and new life for everyone.

Romans 5:18

When Temptation Knocks

I saw this image being shared on Facebook. It was meant to be funny (and it is amusing), but I saw some interesting spiritual application in it.

Bears are beautiful creatures, but never turn your back on one. With one swipe, a bear can change your life. The caption to this photo says that "Some bear attacks begin with a polite knock on your door." That's the way some temptation begins--a polite knock on the door.

A polite knock on the door seems harmless enough when compared to banging and pounding. Our guard is up when someone is pounding on our door. Our sensible side reminds us to take precaution before answering. However, a polite knock on the door may cause us to assume that whatever is behind that door is safe and harmless. Maybe it is, maybe not.

Temptation is a lot like that polite knock on the door. Satan is very subtle in how he approaches us with temptation to sin. He can convince us that sin is not so bad as we think. Remember what he told Eve ? (Genesis 3) Even Jesus was tempted, but His weapon was scripture. (Matthew 4:1-11) Good thing to remember.

So even if a cute and cuddly bear politely knocks on my door, this serves as a good reminder that I should be on guard and not assume he's bringing me an innocent picnic basket full of goodies.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. - Ephesians 6:11

But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. - James 4:6-8

Strongholds: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

In my Bible reading lately I've run across the word strongholds. Now, typically when I hear about strongholds, I immediately think of something negative--an area of my life where the Enemy loves to work. Places of unforgiveness, low self-esteem, fear, doubt, worry, pride, etc. are all considered strongholds that believers hold onto for one reason or another. I've never really considered what the term stronghold means.


Here's an outline of biblical usage which comes from the BlueLetterBible.org lexicon:

Place or means of safety, protection, refuge, stronghold

a) place of safety, fastness, harbour, stronghold

b) refuge (of God) (fig.)

c) human protection (fig.)

The Bible usages refer to it as a fortified place. The same root word as Fortress (2 Sam. 22:33) and Strength (Neh. 8:10) and Defense (Ps. 27:1) and Refuge (Ps. 52:7) and Helmet (Ps. 60:7) and Protection (Is. 27:5) and Safety (Is. 30:3)

So if a stronghold is actually a place of safety or a refuge, then how has it become associated with sin? I don't think the strongholds mentioned above start out as sin. We worry about finances when times are lean. That's a normal human thought. But it's when we stay in that place of worry--we camp out there--that it becomes a place of sin (a stronghold). That's when we are essentially saying we don't trust God to provide. That's only one example of a potential stronghold.

What I found really interesting is the connection between the definition of stronghold and our (my) own sins. I started thinking about what I turn to for safety, for refuge, for strength for comfort. If it's not God first, has it become a stronghold in my life? Hmmm. Ouch!

"A stronghold is an area of thinking

in which we allow Satan entry.  

Satan cannot force his way into our mind.

It's our private space." ~ Charles Stanley

I don't have a lot of answers here. I'm just sharing my thought process as I grapple with issues. However, I do know that only God's Word can break down those strongholds. Truth defeat lies. So here is a bit of truth to hold onto as we think through this issue. And if you have any thoughts on this subject, I'd love to hear it.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. 
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up 
against the knowledge of God, and we take captive 
every thought to make it obedient to Christ.~ 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Stay Ahead of the Ants

Recently, I got up one morning and walked downstairs to get a pot of coffee started. I was also carrying a load of laundry, so I stopped off by my washing machine to leave the basket of laundry. After I sat the basket down, I noticed something quite odd in the hallway on the carpet. Was it a spider? Hmmm. Something black looking that wasn't there the night before.

I turned on a light to investigate further. YIKES! A whole pile of ants crawling on top of something--probably a crumb of some sort that was dropped the night before. 

You see, I think my neighborhood was built on top of a giant ant-hill! Ever since I moved into this house, I have had to be diligent about keeping the ants from coming inside my house. My neighbors have reported similar problems. Winter is the only season that I don't have to worry about ants. But, as soon as the weather begins to warm up, it's time to be prepared. Not only do I put out the ant traps and spray around my home, I also must be careful to clean up after myself and not leave anything tempting for the ants. Any tiny, innocent crumb left lying around can quickly become a huge problem.

There's a lesson to be learned here about our own lives. A seemingly tiny, innocent little crumb can quickly become food for the Enemy. Our Enemy, Satan, is always nearby and waiting for that little morsel you've dropped so he can pounce on it. What starts out as a small thing can quickly become a huge problem.

We need to stay prepared. We need to put on the full armor of God, daily. We also need to stay in constant awareness of these little crumbs that may have fallen at our feet. Sweep them up with prayer and confession, if needed. We don't need to help the Enemy by giving him something to grab onto.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against

the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,

but against the rulers, against the authorities, 

against the powers of this dark world 

and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, 

you may be able to stand your ground, 

and after you have done everything, to stand.  

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, 

with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, 

with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. 

With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

~ Ephesians 6:10-18