Truth in the Tangles

This morning my 8 year old and I had our usual routine of me trying to brush her hair while she jumped and twitched and let out an occasional scream. Those tiny little tangles are a constant source of grief in our house and it got me thinking of how easily we can become unstuck from small set-backs.

We were overseas last week, being inspired and encouraged by international pastors and leaders from all over Asia; encountering powerful moves of God; being equipped with new mindsets, attitudes, principles and strategies for impacting our culture...and today I’m staring at a floor that needs serious mopping, while fighting with my daughter…

I said to God this morning, I need help navigating these extremes and He said to me “My joy is always here - those negative voices and emotions you hear and feel are not from me and you don’t need to listen or take them as your own.” And then I remembered - overcoming isn’t about walking constantly in grand displays of cultural impact; it’s about winning one small victory at a time.

So I will tap into the Holy Spirit’s fruit of self-discipline to pull out that mop and clean my floor, I will find peace and patience as I interact with my 8 year old, and I will definitely find joy as I travel one step at a time through this day...then cultural transformation will follow.

”You are of God, little children, and have overcome them [spirits that don’t resonate with Jesus], because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.” 1 John 4:4,5 NKJV

The Red Pill

“After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill -- the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill -- you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” - Morpheus, The Matrix, 1999

Usually I write these posts around a verse but today I’m writing for those who may not look at the Bible the same way I do. Perhaps it’s been presented to you as a history book, a collection of philosophies, or even a grand conspiracy designed for some to wield power and control. Maybe you do hold the Bible with respect but prefer to leave some of its topics in the past. I’m not going to focus on my view of the Bible in this post, but I’d like to share some experiences with things that are described in it. Are you ready to take the red pill? Read on.

I remember the first time I heard an evil spirit speak. A friend of mine started experiencing intense panic attacks that would sometimes leave her paralised in silence, staring straight ahead. Now, I had been brought up in churches that didn’t really talk a lot about the spirit world, so when I started praying for her I certainly wasn’t digging for any particular spiritual experience. My heart was to comfort her and to just ask God to do something.

Instead I heard a growling voice, “Stop it. She’s mine”. So I did. Probably not the coolest, bravest choice I could have made, but that’s what I did. Thankfully she had other friends in her life who had experienced a lot more of this than me so that wasn’t the end of the story for her. And it wasn’t for me either.

Fast forward a couple of years. I was with a team of students staying in an Indigenous community in Western Australia. We were heading to sleep for the night in our tent, when a whole lot of yelling, banging and barking simultaneously began in various directions around us. To say it was scary would be an understatement! I was chosen to go and see what was going on...thanks girls...so I took a deep breath and crept outside.

Long story short, a girl had been taking drugs, had an incredibly frightening experience and had run to the local pastors for help. They had started praying with her and all kinds of activity had erupted all over the place. The pastors suggested that they change their approach and began singing a song that praised Jesus and thanked Him for the power He had over this kind of activity. At the time I had reached out and placed my hand gently on the girl’s back in support. She convulsed and I felt what I can only describe as a snakelike sensation “slithering” under my hand until it was gone, leaving a complete sense of peace behind.

Another time I was sitting with a friend who was experiencing depression, when I noticed cuts on her arm where she had tried to end her life. I reached out to hold her hand and she pulled it back with a jolt. Again, I heard a growling voice say “Don’t touch.” This time I recognised the voice but I still didn’t really know how to respond other than encourage my friend and help her feel safe.

It’s only recently that I have begun to feel a grasp on how to respond to this spiritual world of activity. I know now that it’s important for a person to take ownership of what’s affecting their life so they can actually ask it to leave themselves. When Jesus died on the cross He gave us the opportunity to accept His Spirit along with the same power that raised Him from the dead. When a person realises the power they have through Jesus, they have every right to tell other spirits to leave!

I’ve shared a few situations where I have felt completely clueless as to how to respond but I certainly learnt a few things through them! 1. Evil spirits are real 2. They like to show off 3. They don’t like Jesus! Just this week I was on an aeroplane when a girl began convulsing. Long story short, I had a chance to pray for her and she threw her head back with a jolt before peace returned. What had been a completely chaotic scene moments before dissipated into nothing as the entourage of doctors finalised their assessment of “absolutely no cause” and the crowd of worried passengers returned to their seats.

If you have followed this post so far then hopefully you’re not completely freaked out but maybe a little more curious than before. We have recently been praying for more supernatural experiences and I hope to be able to document a few more sometime soon. Stay tuned!

Trash or Treasure

On our recent trip to the Philippines, I noticed this sign in one of the supermarkets. It reminded me of how fleeting our possessions are. One minute you buy an item and the next minute you’re throwing it in the bin. Alot of things in life really are that temporary - they have a very short lifespan before we have no need for them anymore.

This past week I met so many people who are investing their lives, time and resources into things with lasting impact; things with eternal value. And you could see the difference they were making in the culture around them. It was both humbling and inspiring.

Living with the hope that we’ll see the same cultural transformation in our own city of Melbourne is what gets me out of bed in the mornings! Imagine what a difference it would make with our time and effort if we knew what would have eternal value...

”Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” 1 John 2:15-17 NLT

Unrestrained Love

Sometimes we expect God to act and feel in ways that we would, but we forget that His actions are perfectly good and not limited by the frailties that limit us. Perhaps when we don't do what He says or give Him attention, we expect Him to be disappointed in us - in the sense that His feelings have been hurt. Or maybe we assume that He wants us to worship Him because He needs the affirmation, that He needs reassurance of His selfworth.

In reality, God is perfectly secure in His identity! His desire for us to respond to Him and follow His directions are in fact more for our benefit than His. Dwelling in this place of security means that there is nothing prohibiting Him from being extravagant in His display of love for us - He has nothing to lose!

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things." Acts 17:24,25 NKJV

Found at His Feet

Recently I got behind the wheel of a bus and shuttled students along the Peninsula to Phillip Island for the day. We really have a beautiful coastline and I was reminded how spectacular and unique our wildlife is.

In my 36 years as an Australian I've seen most of our furry friends before but there was a particular experience that has stuck in my mind ever since. It was feeding time for the pelicans and we were invited to take our seats and watch them gather for lunch.

Eagerly they waited, beaks poised for the inevitable. It was clear that they had been here before and were 100% confident that the lovely lady on the beach would soon fill their handbag-like beaks with bucket loads of delicious fish!

When I open my Bible, I know that at some point, something I read will speak to me. You know why? Because I've been there before and every time I am reminded of at least one thing - my God wants to feed me. And His food is exactly what I need. Each book speaks of His incredibly faithful character, His love, His sovereignty. No matter what I'm facing, that's exactly what I need to be reminded of.

I don't think the pelicans arrive like clockwork on that beach because they are super-disciplined in providing a show for the visiting tourists. They approach the feet of the woman on the beach because they know they'll get fed. That's exactly what they need. That's exactly what I need as well. And that's why I'm regularly found at His feet.

Found at Your Feet
I am surrounded by beauty
Creation declares Your majesty
Each of the broken
Await You to speak
Knowing it's You that we need

I want to be
Found at Your feet
I want You to meet me
Down on my knees
Come and take over
Make me complete
I want to be found at Your feet

Lord You are beautiful to me
I'm overwhelmed by all that I see
Let all with breath
Declare Your majesty
We want to be found at Your feet

I want to be
Found at Your feet
I want my Saviour next to me
I want to be
Found at Your feet
I want my Saviour near

Click to hear how this song might sound

Leaving a Good Reputation

Earlier this month I saw an article about a man who had lost his job because he was too gung-ho about sharing his Christian faith. Reading the facebook response to this story was a little confusing, and obviously charged with a lot of deep emotion. Even though I wanted to share my own thoughts, I realised I’d just be speaking out of raw emotions like everyone else and decided against it!

Now, who knows what the full details really were in this story but it sure got me contemplating my own life. When a conviction burns deeply inside of you and it impacts every part of your being, how can you tell if you are crossing that line? How do you define when are you “pushing” an idea on another person, or when you are just being yourself and letting it ooze out of you?

Reading through Hebrews 11 I was reminded of the legacy that was left behind by people like Moses, Joseph and Abraham. They are recorded as having a good reputation or in other versions, commended as having a good witness.

Perhaps due to bad experiences they'd had in the past, I have encountered people who were extremely angry that I even walk onto university campuses, let alone open my mouth and say anything remotely related to my thoughts on faith. Without us even having a conversation, my reputation in their eyes is far from good right now but as my heart and motives are tried, tested, shaped and refined by my faith, I hope one day to be added to the list of people who were found to have a good reputation.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. Hebrews 11:1,2 NLT

Flow River Flow

Often Christians are expected to be critical, judgemental and fun-dampeners but this is a far cry from what God intended us to be in this world! We are carrying His life-giving Spirit around so the effect should be like the river mentioned in Ezekiel - refreshing, purifying, flourishing, nourishing and healing…

Flow river flow
Across the nations
Flood our lives
With every wave
Flow river flow
Throughout creation
Bring your life
Come on! Flow river flow!

I was lost but now I’m found
Your river flowed right to me
Your all-sufficient grace abounds
Your river’s flowing through me!

Flow river flow
Across the nations
Flood our lives
With every wave
Flow river flow
Throughout creation
Bring your life
Come on! Flow river flow!

He asked me, “Have you been watching, son of man?” Then he led me back along the riverbank. When I returned, I was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:6-9,12 NLT

Details for the Delicious Life

When we’re given a cookbook, we are eager to pick up the tips inside that will make our cakes taste incredible. When our sports coach presents us with a new strategy, we look forward to the impact it will have on the game. Yet we shudder with discomfort when we’re faced with words like “decree, instruction and commandment” from God. Imagine if we lapped up these concepts for the insights they hold and the life they bring. I guess this expectation all flows from our perception of the “instruction-giver”. If we truly grasped His heart and intentions towards us we’d be just as eager to put His directions into practice as we are to follow a good recipe! More than simply producing top-quality baked goods, I want the details for a delicious life!

“Your decrees have been the theme of my songs
wherever I have lived.
I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord;
therefore, I obey Your instructions.
This is how I spend my life:
obeying Your commandments.
O Lord, Your unfailing love fills the earth;
teach me Your decrees.” Psalm 119:54-56,64 NLT

Loving the Unseen

Yesterday my 3-year-old was asking how the wind can move the trees. I couldn't really think of a simple answer to this question so we both just marvelled at how something invisible to us can make such an impact. "That's like Jesus, Mum," she said. Wow. Absolutely. I actually can't remember a time in my life when Jesus hasn't impacted my day. Don't get me wrong - I have been through times of wilderness where I couldn't perceive what He was saying, but those times were marked by a hunger for more of Him. The times when pain was so strong I could feel it deep in my stomach were also the times when only reading the Bible, and letting the Holy Spirit move, could take it away. On one hand it's unexplainable how I can have such a passionate love for someone that's unseen, but on the other hand, it makes complete sense.

"You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy." 1 Peter 1:8 NLT

Breath of Life

This morning I woke to find that a missing young man who I'd been praying for had met foul play. I don't know him personally, but through a friend's heart-felt cry I mourned with his family as though we'd been friends for life. I prayed and I prayed. And he died. But I believe in a God who restores and renews and I will continue to pray that He will breathe life into this family and that this tragedy will not be empty of meaning.

Reading through Ezekiel for some peace of mind, this poem emerged...

He said to me “Hey child of mine
These bones you see - your family line
They ache and cry, ‘Our hope is lost
We ourselves have been cut off!’
But you will speak, you’ll prophesy
Your words released to meet their cry
‘Our God has spoken, He will open
Graves, releasing what was broken.
Return to you all that was taken
Settle that which has been shaken.
Then you’ll know, you wont deny
The God whose presence shapes your life
His Spirit He will place in you
He’ll breathe afresh, restore, renew
And take you back to where you’ll find
That place of rest, that peace of mind.
Then you will know, you wont deny
The God whose presence shapes your life.’”

Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ” NKJV Ezekiel 37:11-14