Running for cover

Few things undermine us so completely and in so many areas as betrayal. It penetrates deep and seems to rip us up from the inside out.

Victims of betrayal run for cover. A confusion of emotions cry out inside them. A cry for vengeance and also undermining waves of self condemnation.

So many situations in life cut us deeply. Betrayal by a loved one or someone we have invested time and emotional energy in, happens to us all on some level at some time in our life. Particularly painful is betrayal by those you admire or who are meant to protect you. From childhood playground spats to the complicated forests of adult relationships, betrayal and how to deal with it is an issue we don`t often hear teaching about.

Forgiveness and mercy are crucial. But even after the release that mercy brings, the memory of that betrayal can still be very painful. Every day brings an opportunity to choose: run for cover or refuse to chew on the bitter roots of that act of betrayal?

Acts of betrayal are usually more about what is going on in the betrayer than about those they betray. But the victim cannot afford to remain in a victim mentality. Betrayal hurts. Deeply. But if bitterness sets in, you remain on the run when really the betrayer is the one who is running, from themselves and the responsibility of the consequences of their action. One day God will focus on the issue with them. Leave it to Him and His timing.

Matthew 6.12: Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.

Securing Shame

Talking of shame, it`s amazing how many of us learn to live with our fears. If we don`t face feelings of shame or inferiority, they grow to be part of us.

As intimidating as shame is, it can often become a kind of comfort zone. We develop coping strategies and start to believe that this is just part of our character.

Whenever I see beautiful houses with bars at the window I think of the windows of our hearts. Bars can be great. I lived in a house with bars myself. I was glad of them. They were a deterrent to intruders. But bars also prevent those inside from getting out.

Often, instead of facing the bars that have built up around our heart, we dress them up. Like these houses with their beautiful flowers. 

Jesus didn´t come to dress up our inferiority or to beautify our shame. He came to banish it. You don`t have to make the most of your fears. You can give them to Jesus. When we truly surrender the security and familiarity of those things that have a negative hold on us, Jesus meets us with freedom and mercy. We learn to think differently, speak differently and respond differently. 

We learn to walk free.

Galatians 5.1: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. 

Day of Repentance & Prayer in Saxony

Wednesday 21st November is a public holiday in Saxony. This is one of the few regions in Germany that still observes "Repent and Pray Day".

At the Jesus Haus, time on Tuesday evening was spent praying and declaring God`s promises and Word over Germany. Focusing on what He has done and is going to do in this nation. 

Not giving glory to the sins and shame of the past. But instead, looking ahead with expectancy of all that God has planned for Germany and the people of this nation.

I love the meaning of the word "repentance". It`s about turning back to God. Continually checking that your path is aligned with His path. That your heart is turned to His.

Repentance is really so releasing. Looking at Jesus. Placing your hand in His. Surrendering your steps and your heart to Him. Allowing His glory to shine through.

"...forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13b&14

I love that about Jesus. He died on the cross so that the past cannot hold us back. Through His resurrection power we can leave the past behind us and walk on into the new. Whole. Redeemed. Cleansed & free. Ready to do His will. 

At the foot of the cross

I`ve been to Poland! It was a joy and a privilege to spend last weekend with the ladies of Jelenia Gora and their friends. It`s always truly a delight to see people hungry for God and willing to respond to Him. And the people I met in Poland certainly are.

God spoke very deeply into many people`s lives. Both the women who attended and the men who were also serving at the conference! I loved working with Pastors Magda, Iza and Agniescka. Thank you everyone who was there, for being so open to God!

One area of our lives that we talked about was living in the reality of what Jesus accomplished on the cross for us. Not just knowing that He died and rose again. But believing it truly in our hearts. Believing it for our own lives. Remembering to continually turn to Him, that He has already broken the chains that bound us.

We talked about the journey of our destiny with Jesus. How He grows and develops us. How He inspires passion in us, releases us from shame and prepares us for what He has for us. God also challenged people about the need to forgive and extend mercy. Because an unmerciful heart can hold us back.

When we extend mercy to others, then we receive the full effects of God`s mercy to us in our lives. Deep, but wonderfully freeing!

James 2:13 For judgement is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgement.

I`ll leave you with that challenging thought!

Bruised and Broken

They say that time heals a broken heart. I don´t agree. 

Sure, in time we may "get over" someone or "get used to" the fact that a tragedy occurred. In time we may even begin to understand what happened. But time alone doesn`t mend the wounds of disappointment or the grief of losing a loved one. 

In fact, sometimes we simply learn to live with the pain. Or we develop strategies to avoid it or block it out. Some people bind up their broken heart through work or throwing themselves into new relationships. 

Trusting our broken heart to "Time" is a pretty poor substitute when we can turn to the Living God. "He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147.3). How does He do this? Through two powerful keys to freedom: forgiveness and mercy.  

Easily said, but not so easily done. But apply the salve of forgiveness and mercy to a broken and bruised heart, over time, ensuring that it is really absorbed, and you will see freedom and healing released. 

That heart will be free to live and love again. It will not be restricted by fear, cynicism or coping strategies. It will not avoid those situations that press the bruised heart`s reaction buttons. Instead, a healed heart has a new depth. It has a new lightness. It has a greater wisdom. 

If your heart is broken or you have been binding it up with the wrong things, talk to Jesus. As you choose to turn to Him, choose to forgive, ask Him to help you to understand and walk in mercy. Sometimes, if we`ve lost a loved one, we have to come to that point of really accepting that God is God. Laying aside our frustration and pain and surrendering to His greater plan. 

That`s what forgiveness means; to lay aside. Lay aside your shame, lay aside your disappointment, lay aside your desire for justice and vengeance and offer your heart up to Jesus today. 

Facing Shattered Dreams

Talking about unity is easy. But many of us have been cut, right to the core. Expectations shattered. Dreams dragged down. We had such hopes of working, living or loving together and then it all went pear-shaped. Is unity really viable?

I believe it is. I also believe that God allows us to go through times of pain and disappointment. He crafts greatness in us as we face our shattered dreams and choose to move on with Him, working out our part of what went wrong. Choosing to continue to pursue the excellence of unity. An excellence that is attainable, despite our human imperfections.

Unity is a choice. It is something we pursue. Some people pray to receive unity, but I believe that we have to make very active decisions to see unity become a reality in our relationships and church life. Each one of us has a responsibility to pursue the peace so vital to unity. We have to learn to make peace with one another and with the events that have occurred.

Being a peacemaker requires character and humility. It means we are prepared to face the nitty gritty issues. We choose mercy and forgiveness, laying aside our natural heart cry for vengeance. We place the situation in God`s hands. We pray mercy for those who have hurt us and whom we do not understand. We choose to walk on in excellence, being responsible for our own reactions and attitudes. We are humble enough to admit that our way may not necessarily be the right way. Refusing to harden our hearts, we refuse to become cynical. We continue to believe that unity is attainable. 

Don`t let shattered dreams distort your character. Instead allow God`s gentle hand to craft greatness in you. If unity didn´t work out last time for you. Forgive, let it go, apply mercy and move on. 

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5.9