The Battle Zone
I just sent this as an e-mail to a friend...as I realized that I am once again in a battle zone...not once again, but always. I guess I just forgot for a while that this is going on all around me and in my mind. :) We are called to fight the good fight, to put on the whole armor of God, to deflect the lies of the enemy, to send him home with his tail between his legs when we remind him that he's already lost the battle....
I just wanted to share with you that about a week ago, I read this chapter (Captivating, by Eldridge). Since then, the Lord has been diligently showing me the ways that I am believing the lies of the enemy, even in my relationship with HIM. I am the one who "doesn't speak" AND who "doesn't have anything to offer." The enemy has told me that I have yet to suffer the consequences of my sin, lying even about my own redemption...as if JESUS were not enough, as if His death can't even begin to cover MY sins....
It is true that you have to make a choice WHO to believe every day, and even if you are seeking the Lord, that doesn't mean that satan won't continue the onslaught. I have also been listening to Beth Moore's "Breaking Free," which is teaching me that I can stand in the blessings He has given, and it has come as some encouragement to know that women all over the world are oppressed also. So I'm NOT the only one...as satan would have me believe.
I think the reason why I am so drawn to IHOP KC is because of the truth (their gifting is impartation) that they are continously shouting - that HE LIKES ME!!! My dearest aunt Vicki has spoken this over me several times in the past couple of weeks. We know God loves us - He loves the whole world, as John 3:16 says, but He doesn't LIKE the whole world. In fact, there is much to detest of the state of the world presently...but HE LIKES His children, those who have chosen Him, even if they are so faulty...I can't turn away from that, because it builds my faith, builds my courage to follow after my lover...after all...a marriage is hard enough with just love..but when you truly LIKE your spouse, it's actually enjoyable. It's fun, it's good. And as I've prayed Eph 6 - putting on the WHOLE armor of God - I've asked - what really is Your truth? I need to know what the truth is about me and about you, otherwise I cannot gird myself with it!! And, He has answered that He likes me. Satan would take that away (and has) daily...but for now, I'm trying to remember the truth and forget the lies.
I have written several times about how He likes me even in my weakness...about the truths He has spoken to my heart about who I am and what He feels about me, but I seem to forget. It's not even really that I forget, but satan would lie and lie and lie and lie until the truth seems far off and unbelievable. Don't you hate him? Thankfully Jesus has already won the victory, and is longing to teach us that also. Lord, give me the strength to escape the snare. Give me discernment and open my eyes to the difference between YOUR truth and satan's lies.
I just wanted to share with you that about a week ago, I read this chapter (Captivating, by Eldridge). Since then, the Lord has been diligently showing me the ways that I am believing the lies of the enemy, even in my relationship with HIM. I am the one who "doesn't speak" AND who "doesn't have anything to offer." The enemy has told me that I have yet to suffer the consequences of my sin, lying even about my own redemption...as if JESUS were not enough, as if His death can't even begin to cover MY sins....
It is true that you have to make a choice WHO to believe every day, and even if you are seeking the Lord, that doesn't mean that satan won't continue the onslaught. I have also been listening to Beth Moore's "Breaking Free," which is teaching me that I can stand in the blessings He has given, and it has come as some encouragement to know that women all over the world are oppressed also. So I'm NOT the only one...as satan would have me believe.
I think the reason why I am so drawn to IHOP KC is because of the truth (their gifting is impartation) that they are continously shouting - that HE LIKES ME!!! My dearest aunt Vicki has spoken this over me several times in the past couple of weeks. We know God loves us - He loves the whole world, as John 3:16 says, but He doesn't LIKE the whole world. In fact, there is much to detest of the state of the world presently...but HE LIKES His children, those who have chosen Him, even if they are so faulty...I can't turn away from that, because it builds my faith, builds my courage to follow after my lover...after all...a marriage is hard enough with just love..but when you truly LIKE your spouse, it's actually enjoyable. It's fun, it's good. And as I've prayed Eph 6 - putting on the WHOLE armor of God - I've asked - what really is Your truth? I need to know what the truth is about me and about you, otherwise I cannot gird myself with it!! And, He has answered that He likes me. Satan would take that away (and has) daily...but for now, I'm trying to remember the truth and forget the lies.
I have written several times about how He likes me even in my weakness...about the truths He has spoken to my heart about who I am and what He feels about me, but I seem to forget. It's not even really that I forget, but satan would lie and lie and lie and lie until the truth seems far off and unbelievable. Don't you hate him? Thankfully Jesus has already won the victory, and is longing to teach us that also. Lord, give me the strength to escape the snare. Give me discernment and open my eyes to the difference between YOUR truth and satan's lies.
posted by KariBryant @ 11:32 AM
3 Comments:
At 12:10 PM,
Unknown said…
I check your blog once in a while.It's amazing how one blog connects to another in this cyber world. You are in my heart and prayers.
At 3:57 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hello. I just read your blog. I agree with a lot of what you're saying. I find myself relating to you. First, that Jesus is strong enough to cover our sins. That's just one of the things Satan tries to lie about. And so I also agree about believing God's truth about you rather than the devil's. I love how you said that. I love Beth Moore and I love that bible study. I want to go back to get all that truth so much that I operate off of it all the time. And then you talked about IHOP. Everyone is in love with IHOP lately. At least, a lot of the people I know. They are getting involved in it and are being blessed by a great revelation of God's Love it seems. I am so glad. My heart does take delight. I just received the cds on the teaching of Song of Solomon where he talks about this "dark but lovely" quality in us. That is where I'm not sure that it's being stated in the right way. I need to study more and pray about it more, but I don't think God likes us for what we do(the times when we do something good) because that's not really in line with God hating sin. If it was based on what we do, we would fail miserably. That's like saying, Oh I am good sometimes and bad sometimes but because I am good sometimes God loves me even when I am bad. Though I do agree that He loves us even when we are bad, it doesn't mean that the good made Him love us, or even like us. A scripture in Matthew (5:48) says, Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. I don't mean this in a condemning way, but rather, that our actions do matter to Him immensely, but they aren't what determines His like for us. This is where I think I differ with the scripture interpretation IHOP gives. I think when He says, "You are dark, but lovely" He is saying, you are marred and you are sinful. You have a sin nature and you fall short of the glory of God, but BUT you have been set free!!! That's not really who we are anymore!!! Even if we act like it is, who we are ...is really inside us that God lights up with His spirit and changes us until we know who we are too. So yes, God loves us. And yes, He likes us. But that's because He knows us better then we know ourselves, it's because He made us. We are His creation and He formed us. He likes a willing spirit and He likes all of that, because, that's who we truly are. And He delights in it. Do you understand the difference? The reason I make this statement is that it can be, in a way,deceptive. It makes you think you can live without the Holy Spirit, that God is grateful for the times when we are good and looks past when we sin, or even accepts that as part of us(likes it even, because IT'S JUST WHO WE ARE!! I say this with apparent disagreement), and that we can live off our own strength rather than the spirit of LIfe and Truth God puts in us. And the thing is, that's hopeful. Because anyone who has tried to be good for many times knows they can't do that on their own. Because anyone who pretends like the bad things are okay too because they do good know that those bad things suck the true life away. So I agree, but I disagree. It is my opinion, unless I am proven wrong by the Truth(which I don't mind hearing about if you know), that this "dark" quality is the life we have, marred and broken without Him. And this "lovely" is who we are. And this "lovely" is who He sees even when we don't see it. He knows their is something in us even when we don't, when we've never done a good thing in our lives. He lifts our head of shame and guilt and heaviness and tells us that we are beautiful to Him. And He sees. And it's the Truth. And He says it and HE doesn't LIE. He only speaks truth. And HE speaks it over you. But I heard something once, and I think it applies. Everytime you do something better instead of worse, you are having victory. That's a really good way to put it. Ya, it's incomplete because it's not just better, it's the right instead of wrong. But it's true. It's just that I want to assure you, God's love isn't based on it, nor His like, It's based on Him. And you have been changed into His image whether you see it yet or not. He hates the sin, but He likes who He made. That's for nonChristians too. He doesn't like them in their state, He likes who they really are. This is long and drawn out and I have a feeling no one will read it, but I am going to save it for my own purposes because I have been feeling like something is wrong with what we we're thinking for quite some time.
Express to me if you don't feel Im thinking clearly~
At 1:16 PM,
KariBryant said…
I don't think that "dark but lovely" in Bickles interpretation means that God likes us for what we do...in fact, I understand it to be the complete opposite. If we were rated solely on our actions, we would all be doomed to hell. Jesus came to redeem us - if there was a way for us to live without sin, there would be no need for Jesus, right?
I think that the Shullamite sees herself as dark - she has recognized all of her faults and feels unworthy because of them, but her lover - Jesus - says, 'No, you have chosen Me, I have already paid the price for you...when you ask me to forgive you, I no longer see the darkness, but I see your heart's intentions.'
It's a hard thing to be able to understand that the same God who loves unconditionally - our Bridegroom, is also the Judge. It's hard to see that the One who is so passionate for us is also the one who will come and bring justice here on earth.
As sinners, even though saved, we can see the impact of sin on our lives...unfortunately we will never be perfect this side of heaven. We will be forgiven. Satan is the one who would have us go back in time to those areas that God has forgotten (HE says He has cast them far below the sea) and haunt us - tell us because of our sin we are not worthy of the love of Jesus. We are not good enough.
God cannot look upon imperfection - He could not look upon Jesus as He took upon Himself our sins...But precisely because Jesus has taken upon Himself our sins (if we accept that fact), we have been made lovely...after all, we have been made in the image of God Himself...
I think towards the end of your entry, your opinion is in line with what I've just said. We seem to agree, right?
Are we called to hate the sin, but love the sinner? I think so! Jesus Himself was often in the presence of prostitutes and extortionists while He walked the earth...they needed His love. They still do.
I think it's a wonderful thing that so many are blessed by the revelation of God's unconditional love that comes out of IHOP...I find it strange though, that so many miss the message that also comes out of their ministry of Jesus the King and the Judge. If you continue on your study of SOS, you will find this teaching there also.
And Sarah, He likes you too...
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