INYOU WINDOW, November, 2006: “Who Are You…Really?”
I just had a conversation with a guy in our community whose reputation is being plowed under. He is grieving the loss of his pristine “friendly image” and experiences a gnawing disappointment with Christians he thought were his friends. His thoughts and emotions are forced to filter a constant barrage of messages all aimed at discouraging him from accomplishing what God has called him to. At times, even his choices of where to go are influenced by who will see him and how he will face their criticism.
“You’re ‘living to people’,” I told him. (We “live to people” when other’s words and behavior affect our words and behavior. At that point we surrender our control to them and they can lead us wherever they wish.) “What they say may be lies or it may be true, but what’s the truth?” He perked up. He knows the truth. Not only has he been in ministry most of his life, but also, the truth written in Scripture is also written in his heart, and in that moment there was agreement. “Now hide that in your heart!”
When our heart and our head disagree, there is disunity within (“emotional dis-integration”). Our first reaction is usually to figure it out, redouble our efforts, look inward, fix our circumstances, control others, “get over it,” etc., but the only answer to this “broken heart” is faith—a response of the spirit to truth and a surrender of the soul to rest in Truth (Jesus). “Your reputation is being tilled underground like refuse,” I told him, “but guess who’s driving the tractor? Jesus! Your past reputation (your outer life, your “false self”) will become fertilizer. Just wait until you taste the fruit that comes out of it!” (See Phil. 3:4-14)
We’ve got to start discipling believers from their emotions! I’ve been doing it now for eight years and I have seen such genuine fruit come from helping believers get “gut-ugly honest” about where they are on their journey. “You will never leave where you are until you admit where you are. God already knows, so who are you fooling with all the masks?!” People need more situation education over information education! We don’t add to Christians’ lives through education anyways, we only witness to what they already possess, but have forgotten or gotten lost to or have been robbed of in their situation…”in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.” Knowing more is not the answer; knowing Christ and who you are in Him is!
Too many people (myself included much of the time) are living in the past or the future and missing their moments of abiding, not experiencing and expressing Jesus in the NOW! As far as the battle is concerned, it’s all about the living in the truth. “or though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Cor. 10:3-5). The “flaming arrows” of the enemy are aimed at your identity—who you are, really. If you don’t know who you are in Christ, it’s only a matter of moments before you go down burning. Look to Jesus!
NOTE: Hannah Sobeski went home to the arms of Jesus on Thursday, Nov. 9. She is completely healed! Her youth discipleship group from FBC, Spart., sang her through Heaven’s gates. God’s presence and nearness has been carrying the family through. Their testimony is fantastic. Read about her at www.caringbridge.org, then type in “hannahsobeski”. I was able to be present on the Dorman Freshman Campus the next day to pray and read Scripture with the student council. The principal, several faculty and over 300 students gathered to pray for the Sobeski’s during lunch.
