No More Pretending - Find Your Strength in Him...
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 11:07AM 
Greetings, Dear Friends! Susie Larson here!
And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. Each month I give away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So leave a comment, share a story or insight, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and a friend!
Now, on to my topic...
A while ago, our pastor asked us to read Revelations 2 and 3 and to ask ourselves, "What is the Spirit saying to our church?" I loved this assignment and I think it's a wise thing to do.
Something struck me during my devotional time. I read about the Church in Sardis. They had a reputation for being alive, but they were dead.
Reputation: A widespread belief or perception
How many churches, ministries, and people have a look of being successful but at their core (to borrow a phrase from 'The Princess Bride') they are mostly dead?
What a scary thought!
Verse 2 reads: Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
My NIV Study Notes offered this insight: Outwardly the (Church of Sardis) appeared spiritually alive and active and had a reputation of success. But Jesus saw the absence of the inner reality of Himself in the hearts of the people; he saw religion, not spiritual life.
What a wake up call for us!
Is there any area in your spiritual life that you've allowed to go on autopilot or that has become a rote practice, void of life?
The passage above advises us to strengthen what remains, to remember what we have received, to obey what God has asked us to do, and to repent of our sins.
How easy it is to go through the motions, to look good, but to bear little fruit! And yet, there's an answer for us. We are to strengthen ourselves in the Lord that we might know true peace, experience profound healing, and make a significant impact in our world. That we might bear real fruit. No more pretending. No more going through the motions. No more fake fruit.
When the Psalmist David was in one of the battles of his life, the Bible says that he 'strengthened himself in the Lord.' (See 1 Samuel 30:6)
I believe David simply reminded himself of God's greatness, His faithfulness, His promises, and His presence. I think David probably nourished his soul by telling himself that he was not alone and that he mattered to God.
While we still have today, may we abide in the Vine and receive the fresh life flowing from Him! May we refuse to live a 'religious' life; one that is absent of a fresh, thriving, and fruitful life. May everything we do be motivated by our love for God and be in response to His love.
When God looks upon His people, when He looks upon you and me, what does He find?
Does He find us striving in our strength? Pretending we’re something we’re not? Does He find us going through the spiritual motions and yet deeply motivated by our own selfish whims?
Or does He find our delight in Him? Does His heart swell with joy because we have put our trust in Him? Because we humbly wait for His direction in our lives?
May everything we do, be in response to His love.
Author John Ortburg's mentor once said to him, "The devil drives. The Shepherd leads."
It doesn’t matter how the world perceives you, whether you seem successfully huge or obscurely small. Jesus sees. Jesus knows. Whether in a hidden place or in a public one, may your faith-life thrive and grow because Jesus lives in and through you.
Let Him lead, and humbly follow. You'll find your strength in Him.
Until next week~
Reader Comments (6)
The Lord has been been blessing my family in so many ways. He is answering so many prayers that have been prayed for a long time. Yet my church is going through a lot of changes that have made that part of my life a major challenge. I always felt like I could not live without my church but right now it feels like I am about to be moved to another place. I know that we are not supposed to rely on our feelings but it is hard to ignore them too. I am keeping my eyes on Jesus in this tough time for in Him do I trust, not in man, for He is my everything.
Absolutely loved this post! Thank you so much for sharing, it was exactly what I needed to hear
today.
Thank you so much for this post. I have been struggling so much with my spiritual life and disciplines. I left a church that looked alive, but looking back there was a lot of "performance based" worship rather than true worship. Since leaving that church, it's been difficult to create new friends who walk with the Lord. I'm shy and not good at starting a conversation. I'm at a new church where the worship is truly heart felt, the preaching is truth from the Bible. I can not figure out why my spiritual life is where it is right now. I love the Lord with my whole heart, but getting into the Bible daily is a huge struggle. I wish I had the passion I had when I gave my life over to Christ.
Thank you for letting me just share. Please pray that when the Spirit prompts me to go to the Word I will follow the prompt. Please pray that if something is in the way, that God will remove whatever it is.
Beth Moore made a statement not long ago that really said somehting to me. she said that " we have it so down pat in our churches today. we can perform so precisely, teach so profoundly, and minister so perfectly that if the Holy Spirit chose to leave our church we would not even know it for weeks!!" That is a sad statement for how "good" we have gotten at doing all the right things.
There are so many megachurches and ministries that go down in ruin for some of the very reasons we would think they would florish. They entertain us so well and then they are gone. How important it is to stay so grounded in His word whether or not the world likes us. So often we think we have to water down His Word so others do not feel insulted or we need to have the most exciting activities to attract others that we lose sight of why we are really called in the first place. I know I am coming on a little strong here but we see so much superficial spirituality today. So many denominations have lost thier 'first love" and are embracing a modern theology which states that the Bible only contains God's Word. We are told that homosexuality and same sex marriage is fine. we need now more than ever before to daily seek Him spend those precious moments in the study of His Word and in prayer so we might guided always by what He is leading us to do even when noone else is watching!
A great reminder for sure. I'm preaching on "Confidence" this Sunday, from 2 Corinthians 5:6. Father's Day is a great time to think about the "false confidences" offered by the world. It's easy to "look confident". But Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:5...the source of this confidence is the Spirit we've been given, that is only the beginning/first installment of what God has in store!!
The Blog is a blessing and a challenge. Over the years I have found that the greatest way to bless others is to follow the Spirit's leading in my own walk with Him. What others receive is the overflow of a grateful heart rather than something born of pressure or from a sense of duty.
Do you personally feel the Blog is too long? Do you prepare over the course of the week or in one time period of sitting at His feet?
If the blessings flow over the course of the week I might suggest posting them as they come rather than taking the time to weave them together for a weekly post. This may afford you more personal time with Him in the long run.
Continue to be a blessing, you are Greatly Loved<3