Free On the Inside

 

 

My husband and I had the privilege of being in the company of several Spirit-filled inmates at the Tyger River Correctional  Institution in Clinton, South Carolina. We went with the expectation of ministering to the men behind bars for various crimes. Within moments of being in their presence, we realized it was they who were ministering to us.

 

While I sit here in retrospect, two passages of scripture comes to mind. The first is from Luke 7, in the healing of the centurion's servant. "I have not found so great a faith, no, not in Israel." Jesus is recognised by the soldier for what He is-the authority over anything demonic. He himself had a superior to answer to, while having men under him that answered to him. He understood Jesus' position perfectly. I saw the same thing in those men last night. While it might look like-and in a physical aspect it is true-they must answer to the authority in the prison system, the true authority they answer to is Jesus Christ. And that authority gives them freedom within their spirit that overshadows the confines of their physical bodies.

 

The second is the account in Acts of Paul on the Damascus road. The man that took pleasure and pride in killing Christians was handpicked by Jesus to preach His word, and to suffer for His sake. How much more then are the men we met last night, appropriated by God to be a beacon for Him, just like Paul?

 

We have met a lot of people in the last two years being out there in 'the highways and hedges' that are in prison. Oh, but please don't misunderstand~their physical bodies might be freely able to go where they want, but their hearts and minds are entrapped by the worldly system that can give them no peace. But, last night, we have seen true freedom at it's finest. These men might not be to come and go in the same manner as those of us who live on the outside of that razor-wire fence, but they definitely know that freedom is in their soul.

 

I don't know, at this point, if the Lord will open up the opportunity to go back to visit this prison or not. Only He knows that for sure. The one thing we know is that they have truly inspired us to keep on with the work that has been given to us to do. If these men can hold their Jesus banner up inside a prison where there is no escape from negative influences, ridicule, and violence, then who are we on the outside to box Jesus up and never share Him with anyone? I have yet to find an example in scripture where God left His people in prison. They were always delivered one way or another.

 

The people who claim freedom in Jesus on the outside, but don't live it, could take a lesson from those who are living Jesus on the inside. True freedom comes in Jesus, no matter the location or circumstance.  

 

If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Aerial View vs. Street View

Sometimes we can't see too far ahead of us to know what God has just around the next corner. We understand in our Christian walk that God has intersections laid out for us. In the picture above, we can see a short distance down this street. But, halfway down, there is a stop sign. Do we keep going straight? What if God wants us to turn right? If we're obedient, we will, even though we cannot see from our point of view who or what we might meet there. Maybe we are meant to share our story with someone, or offer our assistance in some way. Maybe there's been an accident, and God wants us to pray with someone to accept Him before they draw their last breath.

 

About a month ago, we heard the testimony of a person who God had directed to go a different way home after church one evening. In the bend of a curvy, two-lane road, she came upon an accident that had just happened, in which one person was already deceased, and another young girl was so very close. This person was directed by the Holy Spirit to pray with her. The young girl accepted Jesus as her Savior just before she breathed her last breath. We might not comprehend why God has us do certain things, or go certain places, but one thing is for sure: He has His purpose.

 

See, God's view is the aerial view. He sees it all~everything at once. He sees where each person is located at any given time, and where they should go to do whatever job He needs them to do.

 



We don't always get to know what is going on. All we need to do is to be obedient. When we are obedient, it doesn't matter if we have road signs to guide us or not. The key is to keep moving forward in faith when He purposefully witholds certain things from us. Luke 18:8 sums it up beautifully: When He returns, will He find faith on the earth?

The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend

 

 

Here we are on the battlefield
A civil war is all each other feels
Oh yeah, you say blue and I say gray
But we know love ain't love if it fades away
Oh, don't let it fade away
Just leave these troubles behind
And break down all the battle lines
Open up your eyes girl
We're fightin' on the same side
Oh, here we are on the battlefield
Wounded by the words that cut so deep
Oh yeah, well I can't give if you won't take

Maybe we're just afraid that it's too late
Oh, well I know it's not too late
So leave these troubles behind
And break down all the battle lines
Open up your eyes girl
We're fightin' on the same side
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
(Come on baby)
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
(Yeah each and everyday)
We're both soldiers of the heart
Fightin' for the dream that fell apart
Oh yeah, we both know this war is real
Surrender to the way we used to feel
Oh, I miss the way we used to feel
So leave these troubles behind
And break down all the battle lines
Open up your eyes girl
We're fightin' on the same side
Open up your eyes girl
We're fightin' on the same side
We're fightin' on the same side

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Who of us Christians 'put on the whole armor of God', then go out and fight amongst ourselves? We have been in a small town in western NC for about six months now and, like other places we've been, there is no real unity among the children of God. Most promote their doctrine~that of their particular denomination~over and above the teachings of Jesus. It seems there is a church on every corner, in every small town. Here, we have found only one pair of churches that are 'sisters'. Most of the others are break-offs started when some sort of upset has happened~someone got their feelings hurt~and as a result a new building is erected. Is that really what being a Christian is about?

 

We are told by Paul in Ephesians 6, to fight 'against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.' Not each other!! That's the part that we should not wrestle against~flesh and blood! To be a soldier for Christ should be taken seriously. He called us to fight for His cause, not argue over the color of the pews, or the setting of the thermostat in the sanctuary. Have we really stooped that low?

 

When we are truly born again, we become a new person. (Col.3:10) Furthermore, any barriers that might have been in place before our salvation (that kept us from loving our neighbor) should leave us when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. Where there is no longer Greek or Jew (the ground is level at the foot of the cross~we are all equal in His eyes) circumcision or uncircumcision (rules and regulations) Barbarian (uneducated or uncultured) Scythian (nomads~homeless in today's terminology) bond nor free (those in jail or prison, nor those who lead a regular life) but Christ is all, and in all. (Col.3:11)

We Christians MUST stop fighting amongst ourselves. We split doctrinal hairs, causing rifts in the church body over silly things that matters nothing compared to a person's soul. Meanwhile, the world is watching, waiting, and wondering when are we going to fight for them.

Leech Speech

We all know what kind of animals leeches are: parasites. We know that they (literally) feed off the bodies of others. They take the nutrition and energy of their host without giving anything back. And, to suck the life out of someone, they use their mouths.

There are parasites in the spiritual world also. We've all met them~people that, when the conversation ends, we feel drained, both physically and spiritually. Just as physical leeches hang onto their victims by their mouth, so does the spiritual one.

A lot of the spiritual parasites are well-meaning, helpful, and generous people, Christians included. But there is a twist~a contradiction~between their actions and their words. The Bible says that we Christians should edify one another; that is, to lift  one another up. (Romans 14:19) Paul says in 1 Cor. 10:23 that we are free to do or say anything, but not all things done in free will edify another person.

James spells it out for us in the third chapter of his book. A horse is turned by a bit and a ship by a wheel (vv.3-4) , but both are small compared to the body being driven. The key factor is: the part that a person controls tells the horse or ship where to go. In verse 5, he points out that the tongue is a small part of our body, yet boasts great things. Out of our mouths come both blessings and cursings. (v.10a)

The parasitic person has bitterness, envying and strife in their hearts, and comes from earthly, natural and devilish sources. (vv.14-15) Romans 14:17 tells us the parasite may speak well, but the other person is not edified. How can one person edify another if their conversation is all about lifting themselves up? James tell us these things ought not to be. (3:10b)

The next time we are in a conversation with another person, let's pay attention to our end of it. Are we guilty of leech speech? Proverbs 27:1-2 says not to boast of tomorrow, because we do not know what it will bring. Let someone else praise us, not our own mouth. Let a stranger tell of our good deeds, not our own lips.

We must be careful; the pride in us brings contention. (Proverbs 13:10) Isaiah 14:13-14 tells us about the king of Babylon, how he wanted to be 'like the most high.' If we are lifting up anyone but Christ, then we are doomed to fall. It was that kind of rebellion that got Lucifer cast out of heaven. (Ezek. 31:10-11)

As soon as we take our eyes off of God and focus on self, then we are falling into the same trap as Adam and Eve. We should not keep on eating of the fruit that they ate of, but instead opt for the spiritual fruit. These are, according to Gal. 5:22-23, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.

I don't see a reference to self in there anywhere.

God's Divine Appointments

 

A few weeks ago we were visiting a little church on the outskirts of town. The humble pastor told us this story that happened to him and his family on the previous Friday.

 

The pastor and his family had been in a larger town in the next county over, and stopped at a brand new gas station to get gas before coming back home. His wife went in and prepaid for the fuel, and he tried to pump, but nothing happened. As the minutes ticked by, he began to get angry that the pump was not working. He asked his wife to return to the cashier to see what was going on. He confessed that he was too angry to go in himself. Finally, the pump came on, he got his fuel, and he drove on toward home.

 

Meanwhile, just a few miles away, between him and his home, a major wreck with fatalities was blocking the four-lane. When he came upon the blocked traffic, and realizing that he would have been in the midst of it had the gas pump worked properly, he broke down and started to cry. He realized that God had had him engaged in a divine appointment. His message mainly consisted of how God leads us and directs our paths, intersecting us with those who we need to meet, as well as keeping us from danger.

 

Ultimately, we must trust God, even when we don't understand what is going on.