Wise in your own Eyes vs. Praise

The Lord seems to keep bringing up the phrase "wise in your own eyes", maybe because it was an integral part of Satan's first deception in the Garden of Eden.  I believe two offensive Scriptures (to the orphan heart) are Ephesians 5:20 which says, "always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.." and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says, "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  When I am being "wise in my own eyes" I don't have a desire to rejoice or praise the Lord.  This is especially hard when we are in the midst of difficult circumstances or relationship problems, then to be thankful seems counterintuitive.  This is why the wisdom of God is so radically different than the wisdom of man, since our current problem or difficulty has not taken God off the throne of the universe from His perspective praise and thankfulness is an accurate response to the situation.  Praise and thanksgiving make us aware of the higher reality of Heaven, rather than only being tuned into the difficulties on Earth.  In "Destined for the Throne" Paul Billheimer says, "Surely that which occupies the total time and energies of heaven must be a fitting pattern for earth."  This is made clear in the book of Revelation and it is important to understand that these two realities affect one another, when we begin to align with Heaven we are going to see Heaven's atmosphere begin to manifest here.  I don't believe that this is something we seek to perform in our life in our strength but something God does within us as we surrender to His work in our lives.  I believe the more you see the completeness of the New Covenant "in Christ" and how this applies to every dimension of life, the more the wisdom of God (to continually praise Him) becomes part of your thinking.  Since we have been united with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17) in our spirit, our spirit can be in continual rejoice and thanksgiving even when our souls are not.  Yet 3 John 2 says, "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers."  For us to truly prosper in life we must have our soul prospering and this is why I believe the Lord directs us to worship and thanksgiving because it is for our best and our freedom.  Since it is not a natural thing for me to stay continually encouraged, the Lord is teaching me about the importance of a diet of praise and thanksgiving.  I am always amazed at the power of praise to shift your focus from yourself, your problems, and your difficult relationships to the One who is the Author of Life.  I have even found that when I do not intentionally spend time in the Presence of the Lord in praise that I have withdrawals and begin to see a longing in my soul.  I believe David and the Psalms he wrote gives us a wonderful Biblical model of the lifestyle of praise in all circumstances.  David heart for praising and worshipping God so drew the Lord to him that David reached into a future Covenant (New Covenant in Christ) to enjoy benefits that were not accessible under his current covenant.  I believe that to praise and worship the Lord even in hard times is position yourself to receive godly wisdom, since the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge according to Proverbs.  In Hebrews 13 the writer talks about the sacrifice of praise, a sacrifice means something dies.  I believe when we offer praise when we don't feel like it, it's inconvenient, or we don't want to is to have some dimension of our fleshly life die in order that our new life "in Christ" would be manifest.  I believe this act of faith sows seeds of life, love, and power into our future.  It does not require any faith to do what you feel but act against your feelings, thoughts, and even the choice you want to make can be to offer the sacrifice of praise.  I believe it is one of the keys to staying encouraged.

Praise to the One who is always worthy,
Bret

Conquering Death !

Every day as I hear stories of broken lives, failed marriages, deaths in families, addictions, abuse and neglect, lost businesses, broken dreams, and abortions I seem to be mired in the death of this world.  Yet in the darkest places the Light shines the brightest, these people are hungry for hope, redemption, freedom, and love.  There is something about experiencing living death which propels you to seek answers in One that overcame death.  Yet I see so much of what Christ died for not being appropriated in the lives of those in the Body of Christ.  Instead of standing in Christ's victory over death as He entered death to overcome it once and for all, yet so many of us simply fight the effects of death in our lives.  I use myself as an example, I have dealt with the symptoms brought about by my father's suicide for nearing 36 years hoping to be among the normal who seem to function in life with happiness.  I struggle still with the effects of my father's hopeless view of the world that ultimately led to his ending his life and giving up on mankind.  In my more selfish times I think only of my freedom and one day no longer struggling with the darkness that at times still overtakes me.  Yet I see a very different picture that God painted in the story of Creation, He created a people who were made in His likeness and image who were to rule and reign over the earth to spread His glory to the ends of the earth.  This vision is God-sized because it came out of the One who calls Himself the Alpha and the Omega, but we have traded this gargantuan vision for simply "the pursuit of happiness" for myself.  Jesus entered death not just as the Son of God but also as the Son of Man and the representative for a whole redeemed race of people who are "born again" and children of God.  As the human representative in your place Jesus went through the death you deserved took all the punishment and was raised from the dead to overcome the greatest enemy you and I will face for all eternity.  Could it be that we have yet again underestimated the magnitude and power of what Jesus Christ has done as our Redeemer and King.  God does not intend that I just get through the effects of my father's suicide but that I would be a representative "in Christ" of His resurrected and ascended Life.  I am an Overcomer not simply a survivor of suicide or a victim of a horrible tragedy.  As Joseph said, I agree, what Satan meant for Evil God means for good.  As I work with a family who lost a loved one to suicide, I have been drawn to dive headlong into the grief that was still tucked away in my heart.  Not with some morbid desire to wallow in the misery and self-pity but to discover the resurrection life that God will bring forth through this terrible atrocity.  There is nothing normal or okay about what my dad did and I refuse to make it a part of my worldview as just what happens in the world.  The Enemy has sought to strike a blow in our family, our lives, and ultimately at the world.  Jesus has overcome not by fighting death but through entering into death with all it's hopelessness, despair, darkness, and depravity to be risen out the other side producing a new future for all people's who will enter into this New Life.  Just as Jesus had to descend to then ascend, I believe we must do the same if we are to be His representatives in our families and on the earth.  Too often the dark places in families are hidden, denied, avoided, or covered over with distraction.  I believe these are the very places that God invites into, not for the purpose of death but to display the power His Grace "in Christ" in our lives.  Jesus Christ has done much more than save your individual life, He has overcome the enemy of our souls, our families, our communities, and the world.

An Overcomer "in Christ",
Bret