Does God Want Me Whole Or Broken?

October 29, 2009 at 5:57 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , ,


A religious ‘doctrine’ has been taught to me since I was a babe in Christ and I accepted it and have taught it to others. I’ve written the teaching into countless articles and my book. However, several months ago God prompted me to seek Him and really study the accepted ‘truth’ that God wants us broken.

After weeks on this study I am left with no doubt about why some Christians (me until now) struggle to have an “Abba Father” relationship with God…one that causes us to lie down in green pastures with God’s perfect joy, peace and rest…a relationship bathed in “lively hope” and love for the God of our salvation/sozo (to save, that is, deliver or protect (literally or figuratively): – heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.)…a relationship bathed in positive hope and victory in Christ instead of so much sadness and depression and anxiety. I’ve struggled with this dichotomy of brokenness vs. wholeness for years and know the issues it causes. But God…enabled me to break this stronghold with the truth of His Word.

I hope this study prompts much thought and consideration and prods many to take a long look at this widely accepted church ‘doctrine’…asking the Holy Spirit to guide and lead and rightly divide the Word of God.

(Words in parenthesis are Strong’s Concordance definitions for the previous word.)

My pastor adamantly stated recently that a doctrine/teaching or instruction cannot be based on just one verse in the Bible. However, this verse is always used to support the doctrine of brokenness: Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken (to burst; bring to the birth, crush, destroy, hurt, quench) spirit: a broken and a contrite (to collapse (physically or mentally): – break sore) heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

Question: Is the reason this scripture is always used because it is the only scripture in the Bible that ‘seems’ to say anything ‘positive’ about brokenness? I have always been taught and believe that a teaching should be based upon two or three truths of scripture but I cannot find others that support the teaching that we are to seek to be broken.

This verse starts with the phrase: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.”
Proverbs 17:22 is the only other scripture that refers to a ‘broken spirit.’ Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth (to be ashamed, confused, disappointed, confounded) the bones”

In reading the above two verses, Psalm 51:7 and Proverbs 17:22 and the word definitions from the Strong’s Concordance I was jolted by a huge question about Luke 4:18 Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,”.
Word definitions from Strong’s Concordance:
Poor—beggerly; destitute of learning or culture
Brokenhearted—break in pieces, bruise, to tear one’s own body, shatter one’s strength
Blind—physically blind; ignorance to spiritual things
Liberty—release from bondage or imprisonment (strong holds)
Bruised—break, shatter, smite through

The jolting question, which came from deep within my spirit, was how can I seek to be broken and accept all Jesus came to provide for me? And the Word of God immediately filled my mind with scripture concerning His will for my being whole.

Matthew 9:22 “But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” (whole: to save, that is, deliver or protect (literally or figuratively): – heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.)

Matthew 12:13 “Then saith He to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.” (whole: healthy, that is, well (in body); figuratively true (in doctrine): – sound, whole.”

Matthew 14:36 “And besought Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.” (perfectly whole: to save thoroughly, that is, (by implication or analogy) to cure, preserve, rescue, etc.: – bring safe, escape (safe), heal, make perfectly whole, save.)

Matthew 15:28 “Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. (whole: to cure (literally or figuratively): – heal, make whole.)

John 5:6 “When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?” (whole: healthy, that is, well (in body); figuratively true (in doctrine): – sound, whole.)

Acts 9:34 “And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.” (whole: to cure (literally or figuratively): – heal, make whole.)
Whole…God wants us whole, complete, nothing missing nothing broken! And whole is the opposite of broken.

The rest of Psalm 51:17*: “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

Let’s look at Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth (open wide or free) such as be of a contrite (crushed to powder or destroyed) spirit.”

Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” (delivereth: to snatch away, defend, deliver (self), escape, without fail, part, pluck, preserve, recover, rescue, rid, save, strip, surely, take (out).

I have spent weeks seeking and listening to God’s still small voice concerning these Scriptures because my accepting of, and belief in, this ‘doctrine’ has caused much uncomfortable confusion in my walk with God. Through this study I realized that I needed to purge it and let Scripture renew my mind. I believe without doubt these passages of Scripture are teaching me that God does not and will not condemn us for being broken by adverse circumstances…carrying baggage from our past until we learn to lay it at the cross. But the Word of God teaches that Jesus died for our salvation and the word for ‘saved’ is “sozo” which defined by the Strong’s Concordance means: to save, that is, deliver or protect (literally or figuratively): – heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole. I could not help but to come to the conclusion that it is a dichotomy to say that I am saved/made hole by the blood of the Lamb of God BUT I need to seek to be broken.

*I went back into the Hebrew for Psalms 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” And I believe the following text explains it very well.

“Sacrifice to God is the birthing of the Spirit. – or – Sacrifice to God is the quenching of anger. A humble heart God will not condemn. – or – A broken/crushed/oppressed heart God will not condemn.

Now I know what people MEAN when they say that a Christian should become “broken.” They really mean bringing the body (flesh) and soul (mind, will and emotions) under the control of the spirit. And that IS completely scriptural! But that process, starting with the renewal of the mind, is a process of becoming WHOLE!
You (the real you) are a spirit, you have a soul (mind, will and emotions) and you live in a body (your Earth suit). When the Bible refers to your “heart” it’s not referring to your “blood pump.”

In the Bible the HEART is the combination of your SPIRIT and SOUL. When you are born-again, your SPIRIT is renewed but your SOUL is not. Therefore even the born-again Christian can still have a broken HEART. It was completely broken, but now that your SPIRIT is made new, your HEART is half way healed.

Now through the Word of God, The name of Jesus and the broken body of Jesus we are instructed to begin the process of the renewal of the mind. Once that process is under way, the will and emotions will follow. The further you progress through this renewal process, the more WHOLE your heart becomes.

God doesn’t BREAK you so that He can make you WHOLE any more than you would break your child’s leg so that you could nurse him back to health! That’s sick!

Christian WHOLENESS and “Christian Brokenness” are completely incompatible. Every Christian should fully appropriate EVERYTHING that Jesus has done for us to make us WHOLE in every way. Even though some Christians may remain broken in some areas of their life, no Christian should be content in remaining broken. And NO Christian should EVER seek to become broken in any way.” (T. Greenwood)

My friend responded: “God doesn’t take lightly, reject, or despise our broken hearts. That doesn’t mean he WANTS them broken! It is NOT the state He wants us in!

He will humble the proud, and he will train us through adversity. But the goal is humility, Christ-likeness, and wholeness, not brokenness.”

God sent His word and healed the Israelites. I’ve had the misfortune in my Christian life to be fed–and resign myself to–the doctrine of brokenness. That word/teaching/doctrine cannot edify a Christian and cannot heal brokenness for it keeps one wounded and bleeding. Many good Bible scholars call it TOXIC to the soul and a poison to joy and growth in Christ.

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From God’s Perspective…desert places

September 23, 2009 at 3:04 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

“Life is full of disappointments. Friends don’t act like friends. Family doesn’t act like family. Christians don’t act like me.

If you are not careful, each disappointment can send your soul to a place without praise, a place where prayers die. When your heart feels as heavy as lead, know that what weighs you down are really unshed tears and the weight of hopelessness that no child of mine was meant to carry. Grieve, yes, but not without hope. These days are temporary and one day, fellowship will be perfect when, in the kingdom, all my children will be glorified. While you wait, there is only one place to go where you can stand fast without a trace of bitterness. Come home to me.

You will recover and you will be stronger than before because I offer you the endless resources of my heart. For every deficit, for every disappointment, you may expect an abundance ten-fold in the kingdom.”

–written by Christine Wyrtzen, Daughters of Promise

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Jesus Christ…the theme

August 20, 2009 at 1:18 pm · Filed under Uncategorized


People send me a lot of forwards and articles. I don’t have time to read all of them but a statement in one article grabbed my total attention:

“Jesus Christ was the theme of their life.”

As I sat with God and mused on this statement I first thought of a themed birthday party and how obvious the theme is when a person enters the room. From the decorations in the house, the cake, the plates, napkins, cups and games…all will display the theme. And often the birthday person will even wear clothes displaying the theme of the party.

I then thought of Bronner’s, a Christmas store in Michigan where every single thing in the building portrays the Christmas theme…even the way the sales clerks dress. From the time a person gets the building in view until the time they leave and the building is out of site, the theme of the establishment is unmistakable.

I did a word study to help me further understand the word “theme.”

Theme: a subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation; a written exercise; a melodic subject of a musical composition or movement (Webster’s Dictionary)

Theme: the theme is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is not presented directly at all. You extract it from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. (Learner.org)

Our person—our life—not just what we speak–is a message…an “epistle” which in the Strong’s Concordance means: written message; letter.

2Corinthians 3:2-3 “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”

2 Corinthians 3:3–Barnes Commentary: “They had been made manifest to be such by their conversion. The sense is, it is plain, or evident, that ye are the epistle of Christ.”

“Jesus Christ was the theme of their life.”
Philippians 2:12 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Work out—Strong’s Concordance G2716 to work fully, that is, accomplish; by implication to finish, fashion: cause, do (deed), perform, work (out).

My heart is filled with questions: What theme have I worked out in my life–with the Holy Spirit–for others to see and not just to hear? How much of my epistle have I written in my own strength and wisdom? Does the theme I have worked to ‘write’ honor and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and show—not just tell–the power of His resurrection?

I believe God makes it clear that we are responsible to author our lives: In the Old Testament He admonishes us to “up and sanctify yourselves” and in the New Testament He admonishes to “work out”/cause/fashion our “epistles”. We are responsible for writing our books that all men will read. The question is does that book we have chosen to write have the theme of Jesus Christ from the first word of chapter one to the last word of the last chapter?

We just loaded our new web magazine with articles, and we are continuing to do so. Some of the articles were moved over from the old web site…but not until each was read and often edited by the author. Some old articles were even discarded. Some may ask why they needed to be edited…or discarded? Because God continually works to mature/change His children, desiring to teach us Biblical truths, often dispelling things previously learned and believed. (I have grown to believe that all of us need to take inventory to see what we may be embracing that has sadly become the ‘norm’ instead of what the Word of God plainly says is absolute truth.)

The Bible says we need to “put off” and “put on.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old
man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the
spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness.”

As I sit here this morning I am asking God to show me where I need to use an editor’s pen. I am seeking the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of the Living God” to re-set…where needed…the theme of my epistle that God may be totally glorified in every nook and cranny of the pages.

Lord, I so desire to be like the Christmas store in Michigan where my theme is plainly seen from the moment a person approaching gets me in view. I want the manifestations of the absolute truths of the Word of God and the power of the Spirit of God to consume the pages of my epistle for Your glory only and the power of Your might through the workings of Your Holy Spirit.

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Am I Victorious?

August 13, 2009 at 1:19 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

What a sweet time with the Lord…in His Word…in His presence…studying my standing IN HIM…praising His name…thanking Jesus for His finished work on the Cross and His resurrection from the grave that I may live an overcomer in His victory…every day and every hour of the day!

1John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Overcometh: Strong’s Concordance G3528 to subdue (literally or figuratively): – conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.
Victory: Strong’s Concordance G3529 Apparently a primary word; conquest (abstractly), that is, (figuratively) the means of success: – victory.
Faith: Strong’s Concordance: G4102 persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: – assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

    Overcome

Overcome: Strong’s Concordance G3528 to subdue (literally or figuratively): – conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Romans 3:4 “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

1John 2:13 “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.”

1John 2:14 “I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.”

1John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

    Victory

Victory: Strong’s Concordance G3534 From G3529; a conquest (concretely), that is, (by implication) triumph: – victory.

1Corinthians 15:54 “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

1Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Clark Commentary: 1Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God – What the law could not do, because it is law, (and law cannot provide pardon), is done by the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: he has died to slay death; he has risen again to bring mankind from under the empire of hades. All this he has done through his mere unmerited mercy; and eternal thanks are due to God for this unspeakable gift. He has given us the victory over sin, Satan, death, the grave, and hell.

    And the end of the story:

Revelation 15:2 “ And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”

Victory: Strong’s Concordance G3528—same word as overcome to subdue (literally or figuratively): – conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.

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“Believed to See”

July 31, 2009 at 2:21 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

While watching the news one morning I felt ‘faint’ from all of the negative and violent input. When I turned the television off and sat still God brought this verse to my heart:

Psalm 27:13 “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

Sometimes it isn’t easy for me to see the goodness of the Lord in the world around me until I stop and purposely tune out the noisy world around me and focus on the Lord Jesus and God’s Word.

After looking up Psalm 27:3 in my E-Sword, and the word “believed” in the Strong’s Concordance, I realized seeing the goodness of the Lord is more than simply believing…it is my properly building up or supporting that belief with God’s Word; my fostering it as a parent or nurse; putting my trust in the LORD. God reminded me that I have a part in my not fainting at the happenings of the world around me. Without properly caring for and nurturing my faith the world will consume it.

But God…none of His children have to live in fear or live lives of “when in trouble, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.” Praise the Lord.

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The Bible: Funeral Script or Lively Hope?

July 14, 2009 at 7:12 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

“The Bible is not a script for a funeral service, but it is the record of God always bringing life where we expected to find death. Everywhere it is the story of resurrection.”

This quote caused me to stop all activity around me and sit still with God. I think it would be a perfect opening statement of a book on the Christian life…ALL of the Christian life: Home, church, school, work…both relationships and activities.

This passage of God’s Word filled my heart as I listened to God:
“1Peter chapter 1
:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”

As I sat with God I sensed in my heart a question: What do I allow to enter my heart to nurture my spirit? Do I choose to fill my ears and read with my eyes the Bible spoken, taught, sung, written as a funeral script or a lively hope? Do I leave church rejoicing “with joy unspeakable and full of glory” because I am full of lively hope? Or do I leave more downtrodden from the complexities of life than when I entered the church? Do I close the book cover on that Christian best seller renewed in lively hope given by His glorious resurrection or drowning in morose feelings of being worthless and deserving of Hell? Do I enter praise and worship with the Christian music I listen to…or a depressive hole?

We are affected by all of the activities we choose to enter into…and our spirits will be affected accordingly.
“Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Ghost,
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

“The Bible is not a script for a funeral service, but it is the record of God always bringing life where we expected to find death. Everywhere it is the story of resurrection.”

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Ask or Accept?

June 5, 2009 at 8:04 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

How many times have I asked or begged God for what His Word assures me He has already provided for me? Two examples:

How often have I prayed for God to be with me in a circumstance? Whether I feel His presence or not the Bible says He lives in me so how can He not be with me on every mountaintop and in every valley? I need to thank Him for His presence, not ask Him for it. And, oh the times I have asked God to be especially near someone in a trial instead of thanking Him for His abiding presence in their lives.

How often have I begged for God to give me peace in heart-wrenching times? God’s name is Jehovah-Shalom: God is peace. All of the peace I need has been provided in Jesus. All I have to do is accept and assimilate peace and thank Him for His provision.

I’ve always known that faith is not faith if I can see it. I realize now when I have prayed for what God has already provided, instead of realizing it is mine to simply accept in unwavering faith, I get easily wrapped in unbelief because I cannot see, feel or touch the provision. Our unbelief hinders what God is able to provide for us…it renders us powerless…it grieves the Holy Spirit.

Please read the article in the right column: Susie wanted…

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Health Care For The Christian: King Asa’s example

May 28, 2009 at 2:47 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , ,

About a year ago, after hearing ad nauseum about national health care reform, I began considering many things concerning health care that are taking shape around us: Waiting lists for surgeries, less availability of physician services, a growing number of people who have no health care and the criteria that may be considered by insurance companies before a person is able to receive medical treatment for cancer and other life-threatening conditions. (This consideration of criteria–age, health, etc.–is standard in Great Britain and already happening in America. Recently a woman on the West Coast received a letter of denial from her insurance company for chemo-therapy for stage 4 Cancer and enclosed in the envelope was a consent form for her to sign if she wanted the option of physician-assisted suicide…which the insurance company said they would pay for.) God spoke to my heart plainly that His children need to remember that He is our great and infallible physican.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

JEHOVAH-RAPHA==The God Who Heals
The first mention of God’s name Jehovah-rapha is found in Exodus 15:2 “The LORD (Jehovah-Rapha) is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

Is Jesus Jehovah-Rapha?……John 5:19 says that Jesus is one with the Father.

One day, as I sat still and considered many things about nationalized health care, God brought to my heart a truth from Scripture I learned over 30 years ago. This truth involves King Asa. I have spoken and written about this truth many times in years gone by and I believe God brought it to my heart again because this time in history needs to drive us back to Jehovah-Rapha…our perfect healer.

To quell any questions let me say I know modern medicine has a place in the health of a Christian…but not first place. God has used physicians many, many times in my health care. However, I have both practiced and know so many other Christians who have done exactly what King Asa did: sought the physicians only and not God for their healing. 2Chronicles 16:12 “And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.” And King Asa died two years later (verse 13).

I hope the degenerating state of health care in America–coupled with the growing problems with the Food and Drug Administration–will cause Christians to re-think our trust in anyone or anything above our God…our Great Physician. I don’t have all of the answers but I’m increasingly thankful that God has put in my heart a desire to learn truths about how I can help this marvelous body–which He created–to function at a healthier level so that less physician and prescription intervention is necessary. I’m very thankful that God has led me to seek Him in all that He is to better know Who is in control of me–to better understand my Abba Father who has much to say in His Word concerning our health and healing–some of which I have never heard preached from a pulpit or taught in Sunday School even though it is plainly taught in the Bible.

Please read the whole article…click on the title in the right column.

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Growing Children of God Need To Question

May 5, 2009 at 2:28 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

The older I get the more I realize the importance of our growing up experience. For example, a child growing up in a dysfunctional home will, in some degree, have issues to overcome later in life. A child who had the experience of negligent home-schooling will, in some degree, have educational issues to contend with or overcome. A child who was raised by the television with little parental training, will have issues with cognitive and coping skills…and potentially a host of other issues.

For decades I’ve counseled people who have grown up in dysfunctional homes…and I’ve heard and read about many others. I know the issues and problems I’ve had to overcome, and am still overcoming, because of what I experienced and learned in the dysfunctional home I was raised in. The questions of “how were they parented?” or “how were their parents parented as children?” often comes into play as a person walks a path of healing…re-learning. As I thought about this yesterday my mind whirled.

At sixty years old my husband and I often find ourselves talking about our Christian upbringing—wealth of Bible and Christian life teaching–from our first pastor after we gave Jesus control of our lives. Yesterday I found an oasis and I stopped to drink fresh water and consider our looking back at the teaching/training of the pastor who nurtured us when we were infant Christians. I realized the importance and parallels of our physical and spiritual childhood experiences and teachings. We’ve had other good, loving, Bible-teaching and godly-living pastors in our 40 years of Christian living. However, our foundation and belief-system, like that of a small child, was constructed when we were infant and growing children of God.

In the last couple of years God, using His blessed Word/His Balm of Gilead and His Holy Spirit to lead me and guide me into truth, has worked to change some ‘truth’, teaching, I received as an infant Christian. Not ‘connecting the dots’ I’ve often wondered why I have had such a struggle at times to let Biblical truth replace old teaching. It dawned on me yesterday that this is the same struggle people have with replacing teaching/truths they learned in a less than nurturing childhood.

Young children do not have the skills to process and discern truth, right from wrong or what is morally acceptable. Children need parenting to show them…teach them. If the parenting is right, moral, nurturing, loving, the experience of growing up is a healthy one. This is equally true for our Christian experience: How we were grown up in the Lord while our diets consisted of milk…when we were too immature to study and digest the meat of the Word of God…determines the health/strength/understanding/power of our Christian lives. Of course, this can be changed with much study, seeking, accepting and assimilating revealed Biblical truth.

I believe the first step out of the desert to strengthen my Christian life came when I let myself drink fresh cool water and accept the fact that some things/truths I was taught as a young Christian did not line up with the Bible…some ‘truths’ were not even in the Bible. On my path to growing past some old teaching I had to ask the same questions people need to consider when walking paths to spiritual and emotional healing: “how were they (my pastors and spiritual mentors) ‘parented’ in the Lord?” or “how were the people they learned from ‘parented’ as babes in Christ?” For example yesterday I studied the doctrines and teachings of the church one of our pastors was born into and raised in…and later left. My study helped me to realize where some of the untruths he taught as Bible truth came from…his spiritual childhood training which he never questioned. Our ‘parents’ and ‘grandparents’ can have a huge impact on what we learn, who we are and how we teach others…until we choose to change the wrong beliefs through seeking Bible study. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15

Change is uncomfortable. Change is good. Knowing the truth sets us free to live victoriously in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Commit thy way unto the LORD

April 25, 2009 at 9:02 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , ,

Psalm 37:5 “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”

“Commit” — This word has various meanings in the Bible. It is used in the sense of doing something, committing an injustice or a sin, an evil deed. Another meaning is that of consignment. We commit something for safe keeping, we put it into the hands of somebody, trust that person with it, then we leave it with that person, knowing it is well taken care of.

Our assurance that all is well taken care of, safe and secure depends upon the person to whom we have committed or consigned a matter. If the character of the person is questionable, anxiety and worry would rightly disturb our peace because our committal might miscarry and result in our loss. If the person is trustworthy, reliable in every way, able and mighty to handle our affairs, we give the matter no thought whatever and say, “It is safe in his hands.”….

Many Christians fear what they have placed into God’s hands. They are nervous about what they have put in His hands; they entertain doubts and fears. They still worry about how all things will turn out. When we have committed our burdens and cares, our perplexities and problems to Him, knowing they are His now, and that He will take care, then worry and anxiety should cease and we should not be anxious for anything. We should learn to say, “It is in His hands and that is enough.”

Written by A.C. Gaebelein
Originally published in Our Hope Magazine, 1922

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