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Posts Tagged ‘faith’

Trap of the Devil

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 5, 2011| 2 Comments »

Most of my understanding of the nature of God is downright murky; how much less my understanding of that opposite force/entity: the Devil? And yet, I see the consequences of evil everywhere, even prevalent. How do I still get trapped?

II Timothy 2:25-26
You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands. [The Message]

What is the trap of the devil anyway? I’d say it has more to do with a state of the mind than anything else. After all, it’s in the mind that I make decisions, that I initiate my actions. I choose inside the mind. So, I confess, some “traps” I choose. I choose to judge others; I choose to gossip; I choose to sin. Like any woman on a perpetual diet, I still eat the wrong foods and exercise little. I perpetuate my condition.

Now, that’s not to say that some traps don’t catch me off guard too. Like a mousetrap, that is laden with scrumptious cheese. It looks so good. It looks so harmless. I am presented with such snares in the media and while shopping: buy, buy, buy. I am offered credit cards with “cheap” interest. I am told I can afford a much bigger house than I thought. I am encouraged to upgrade everything and anything. Super size it!

And what about the gambit that slowly bewitches me if I am not watchful, like the little frog in the pot of water, getting hotter and hotter? Will I jump out in time? Not always. I become desensitized. I no longer notice the brutal lyrics, the foul language, the abusive behaviors. I am able to watch tsunami scenes and it’s like watching a Hollywood movie, all unreal. “How sad,” I say, “how tragic,” and then I blend up my smoothie or pour a glass of Pinot Noir and watch a DVD to get away from the news.

They say that people who are abducted actually begin to attach to their abductors. Their limited lives develop a pattern, a norm, and slowly, the whole idea of escape is numbed out of them. Isn’t this the most insidious trap of all?

And if I get trapped, so can anyone else. When I’m caught up in a web, it means so much when someone reaches out to me, tells me to “watch out” before I step on the trigger, helps me climb out of the pot of water, gives me clarity where I can no longer see, and draws me into truth with love.

No one likes being slapped across the head like an idiot and told to “wake up! You’re deluded.” No one likes to discover they’ve been fooled or tricked.

The people who have made a difference in my life are the ones who were consistent and patient; those who were authentic in their faith and transparent in their sharing of self.

This is my goal as a follower of the Christ today. This is the role that makes it possible to change a path, to walk beside, to love, to stay out of traps by walking the road corporately.

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Pursue and Cultivate

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

It’s the verbs and they all say the same thing: persist, persevere, adhere, apply oneself, carry on, conduct, continue, cultivate, engage in, hold to, keep on, maintain, perform, ply, practice, proceed, prosecute, see through, tackle, work at . . . This is Christ-based engagement.

II Timothy 2:22b
. . . pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Righteousness, faith, love and peace are the foundations of our faith walk (and if we were honest about it, these are roots to most faiths in the matter of behaviors). They are essential to “human.” If I could live out righteousness (and I love how the Amplified defines this: “all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in thought, word, and deed”), build my faith (and trust) in a truly sovereign God, love others as the sacred souls they are, and promote peace in my circle of influence, my world would be different. I would be a change agent and like a pebble thrown into a pond, the circle would expand.

Influence comes out of authentic living in the Christ.

But all of this kind of talk is so general, it’s a concept, it’s knowledge, but what will it look like today? When I enter the “prayer of examen” (as Richard Foster writes in his book, Prayer), will I recognize the words and actions of any of these four pillars? Can I be more mindful today that I was yesterday or the day before? Can I be conscious in my choices?

Each day, I spend time in confession, asking God to forgive me my missteps, my harsh words, my judgmental thoughts. But, can I as well, give thanks for those other times, those times I actually connected with the Holy Spirit in a viable and observable way? That would be a good thing.

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Can’t Disown Himself

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 1, 2011| 1 Comment »

Shared with Irenic Thoughts Blog

If this “in Christ” and “in me” business is not a mystery, then I don’t know what is. To accept the truth of a Messiah is not a casual decision nor is it just “fire insurance.” It’s a relationship that opens a supernatural door to a unique and forever-lasting access to God.

II Timothy 2:11b-13
If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

This scripture statement is filled with “if’s” because I have to participate in the alliance. Only if I tear up the internal contract completely and “disown” my agreement will I jeopardize the arrangement. Otherwise, no matter what mistakes I make, what foolishness I exhibit, what disappointments and doubt, my God, through the Holy Spirit remains . . . both “in” me and faithful.

Like my own children, who make terrible choices sometimes and even do the opposite of what I ask or recommend, they are mine and always will be. They are part of me and I am part of them.

This is the human version of the God contract. And that one is much more robust. Thanks be to God.

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Rules of the Game

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Every endeavor has rules. I hate that. Maybe it’s because I’m a child of the sixties [age-alert] but there’s some part of me that wants to rebel just at the whiff of rules. But why? Why have they become limitations instead of opportunities for excellence?

II Timothy 2:5
Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.

In reality, it’s the rules or the finiteness of the task and the subsequent precision and commitment to working within that framework that separates the good from the great.

When Paul uses a sports analogy, the first sport that comes to my mind is diving. It’s so terribly precise. All those Olympic dives look wonderful to me until it’s replayed in slow motion and the announcer breaks down the movements and compares them to perfect.

I also think of ice skating, skiing, even ballet. The individual, in order to reach excellence, must ascribe to a certain set of standards. Ultimately, it is only after reaching the highest benchmark that rules can be broken or bent for the sake of creativity or experimentation or invention.

I remember, as a child, watching a clown on a high wire and I thought he was crazy to be on a high wire with so little experience. He always looked like he might fall off the wire at any moment. It was funny and scary at the same time. Only later, as an adult, did I learn that the clown must have the most precise technique and confidence in order to “play” on the wire. In the same vein, the jazz artist (whether dance or music) must know the fundamentals thoroughly or the modern artist classic proficiency before improvising.

So, in a way, it’s true, the rules are to be broken, but only after understanding and mastering the space between the rules. Once we learn to color inside the lines, then we can venture out.

Now, what has this to do with my faith in the Christ or serving God? What are the basics or rules of my faith? Isn’t it Christ crucified, resurrected, and engaged in human life thereafter through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to reestablish communion with God? And thereby I can walk out in love, light, truth, justice, and faithfulness because God is forever in our midst: Emmanuel. Yes, and so essentially, to live is Christ (the greatest mystery of all).

If Christ is exalted (manifest) in/through me [Philippians 1:20-21], then I am living loved and loving others, I am a light in dark places [Matthew 5;15], I am faith-filled and faithful [Luke 17:5-6], I am a spokesperson for truth [John 17:17], and, best of all, I can know, recognize and collaborate with the Holy Spirit [I Corinthians 6;19].

From here, I can improvise. I can be the clown for Christ. I can be a fool. I can be martyr. I can be a change agent. I can be human as God always intended.

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Fight the Good Fight

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on March 22, 2011| 4 Comments »

What do you think it means to “fight the good fight?” I used to think it meant a lot of proselytizing and speaking out for the faith. I needed to take a stand, face derision for my beliefs, hold the line, and be bold for Jesus. Wrong.


I Timothy 6:11-12a
But you, man [woman] of God, flee from all this [the love of money], and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith.

To fight the good fight, it’s an interior struggle; it’s learning to choose, in the moment, the right way, the honest way, a choice that may not be “best” for me. It’s about experiencing God in such a way that I am awake to the Holy Spirit and respond to people and situations as the Christ would. It’s about believing in the truth of the Presence. It’s all real and true and does make a difference inside me. I am different because of that Presence. It’s love. And that’s the most difficult of all because it’s love in the face of all things, it’s love so strong that one’s heart is visible, it’s love so authentic that is can tolerate rejection and hatred and betrayal. That’s why endurance is part of the package. That’s the fight part. Keeping on. And then, the last: gentleness. What? Gentleness? How do we do this long-suffering battle with gentleness?

It would take everything in me to test to truth of these words. And that’s the point.

I need to be gentle with myself. It’s a journey. It’s a war to become . . . to really give it all away (those old ways, not just the stuff) and follow the Christ.

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Train Yourself to be Godly

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , on March 12, 2011| 1 Comment »

Isn’t this a summary of the entire Christian walk? And yet, in the same way that I make New Year’s resolutions, start diets, and buy exercise equipment, I am erratic in my spiritual training. It’s the journey and not the destination that is critical.

I Timothy 4:7-8
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

I know Paul makes a big deal about the benefits for the afterlife, but I am not moved by a promise for an unknown future. (I mean, what do we really know/understand about heaven – that multi-dimensional other place that we can not even imagine, much less describe.) No, I am more interested in what this training will do for my 3-D life now, my day to day, my interactions with others, my state of mind, my service, and my heart. If these would get boost from spiritual training, then whatever comes later is gravy. That may sound crass, but I mean it.

We live in a troubled world. As scripture says, we live amidst wars and rumors of wars. “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. . . ” [Matthew 24:7] Japan just experienced a 8.9 earthquake and the headlines are reading that 9,500 people are already missing from a single city. This is a kind of mass devastation that feels unreal to those of us sitting in our living rooms and watching television or drinking in the sunshine of the day.

What is the spirit response to this weary world and sorrow?

I am a pebble tossed in a different pond, but there are those concentric circles around me. If I can manage to bring down the veil that dilutes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit from within me, then God can use me to touch that first circle around me.

The training is for the first circle and then the second and then the third, ever wider. But I cannot leap into the bigger circle without the practice of the inner one. That is a true myth.

My problem: I keep putting only little pieces of myself into the water like a toe or a hand, I don’t jump in and get completely wet. I am afraid of drowning, even at this level. I don’t trust the water, not really. So I go out for more training in the use of goggles and flippers and underwater gear, instead of trusting that my previous training is enough.

What does most of that training look like? Letting go. It’s “Let go and let God” became so popular over the years. It’s more about letting grace work, letting the Holy Spirit lead the way. It’s about the breath of God doing the breathing and not some tanks strapped on my back.

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Deep Truths of the Faith

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on March 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

In the Amplified, this phrase is written as the “mystic secrets” of the faith. And in other translations, the “mystery of the faith.” In all of them, the key is the revelation that came through the Christ. Faith is required: it is not of this world.


I Timothy 3:9
They [deacons, servants] must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.

Because Christianity has become so well “coded” and molded by traditions and habit and assumptions, the wonder of the message is often lost. God-Spirit manifested in the Christ and created a path back to Himself that was not burdensome or difficult, except for one thing: the path must be embraced as truth. The path is a wonder because it is a road filled with paradox. The way is not straight, but help is always within reach. The ground is not without potholes and rocks, but a guide is promised to navigate us through safely.

I think back to that moment in time when I accepted the mystery of Christ as a reality in my life. It is indeed a mystery how I could be faithless one day and full of decision the next, how I could be asleep and then awakened.

During this Lenten season, I am using a devotional called You Set My Spirit Free: a 40-Day Journey in the Company of John of the Cross adapted by David Hazard. I love this book because it makes the mystic writings of John of the Cross more easily accessible to me. He writes,

“This flame of love is sent down to us from the Father of Lights. Isn’t it love that bathes our soul, kindling a sense of awe and wonder at the glory of God? . . . What I have just described, is in fact, the way the Holy Spirit begins His work in the soul. It is love that causes us to rise up from spiritual sleep and open ourselves to God. Love is the call; and love is the transforming power.”

All love is a mystery, even the love between humans or animals. Yes, love can be nurtured and love can be protected, but the first instance of love, the awareness of love, that is mystical. To think any differently is to downplay its power. And for this reason, it is called a deep truth of the faith.

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