Rip That Chapter Out!

Digging through my tightly stacked bookshelf, I finally spotted the desired book. The well worn “Becoming a Vessel God Can Use” by Donna Partow, is one that I have read and taught numerous times. Many sentences are underlined, highlighted, and starred as if the more that I marked, the more the truth would get into my heart. Loose pages were falling out and some were even missing. Entire chapters hung by loose threads, threatening to completely fall out.

Carefully thumbing through the tattered book reminded me of a speaking opportunity I had a couple of weeks ago. I presented my story as a book. All of our lives are like books stacked on a bookshelf. When we give our lives to Christ, Our story becomes His Story written through the details of our lives. As we surrender, we give the pen to Him to write whatever He wants, knowing that oftentimes it doesn’t look like a good plan.

As in any book, there are chapters that are wordy and honestly kind of boring. Then come the cliffhangers that thrust us to peek ahead into the coming pages to see what is next. Some chapters we want to rush through and get on to what is next and yes, there are some that we want to totally rip out.

Thumbing through the pages of our books of life we might find chapters titled pain, destruction, abuse, addiction, rebellion, death, divorce, or infertility. How would our story read if these chapters were not included? Some of those chapters are a result of living in a fallen world, but if we are honest, we all have chapters that we wrote ourselves with the help of our enemy. We made the horrible choices that led to sometimes long unwanted chapters. The embarrassment, humiliation and consequences leave us begging, “Rip That Chapter Out”!

But then would I really choose that if it were even possible?

Would I be who I am today, if I had not gone through those things? Especially with the promise of Romans 8:28!

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

After my speaking, gathered in little circles sharing our hearts, a dear friend shared a beautiful perspective. It went something like this:

“Martha, I don’t think I would really want to rip the chapter out. I hate what I did; what I went through, but it was in that experience that I met Him as my Shepherd. Oh, I had read about the Shepherd and heard messages about the good shepherd. I loved the poetry of the beautiful Psalms 23. but lying in my hospital bed that night, the Shepherd stepped into my room, opened His robe and pulled me up close to his pierced side. Wrapping His robe back around me, He then held me. It was the most beautiful experience ever. If I ripped out that horrible chapter in my life and threw it away, then I would also have to rip out “My Shepherd”.

I would never choose to loose that.”

Wow! What a new awakening came to my heart! My perspective changed as I began to see the chapters of my story being renamed.

“DEATH OF HUSBAND” renamed “THE LORD, MY HUSBAND”.

“ABUSE” renamed “CHERISHED”

“DIVORCE” renamed “ALL SUFFICIENT ONE”

“REJECTION” renamed “MINE”

“FINANCIAL SCARE” renamed “MY PROVIDER”

“STUPID DECISIONS” renamed “FORGIVENESS”

On and on it goes. Every experience in life is an opportunity to know God in a new way. These chapter changes actually change the title of my book from “My Story” to “His Story”.

It is in the darkest places and most horrendous experiences that we come to know Him in ways we have never known. It is then we can join in with Job and say: -

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Job 42:7

Write on Lord! I can hardly wait to meet you in the next chapter.

Agreeing With God

We gathered for the purpose of prayer. We had studied prayer. We had talked about prayer. We had even prayed but this call to prayer was different. We wanted Him to come close and purify our hearts. As long as we keep our prayers surface, we will never know the power of His cleansing blood.

Prayers of confession and repentance began to spill out of our hearts and through our lips as we sat in His presence. We believed his word that says, “Confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed.” One after another confessions were made. None were forced but prodded by the Holy Spirit. It was deep, pure, in many cases gut-wrenching. One confession gave way for another. Repentance came and forgiveness came followed by great rejoicing. There is power in agreeing with God.

God has used Martha Kilpatrick as a powerful tool in my life. Today I would like to share an excerpt from one of her many booklets “Seeing Him”. (Can be ordered here: http://livingchristianbooks.com/seeing-him-martha-kilpatrick/ )

The Holy Spirit comes and that is His place. His purpose is to bring to you the truth.

At that point, the ball is in your court and you choose how you respond. You can say, “Yes…” or you can say, “Oh, but….!” Or “Don’t you see?” or “Don’t you understand?”

The ball is in your court.

You decide whether you drop the ball at that point – or whether you give the ball back to God and the game goes on.

Most people drop the ball at that point. I want to tell you, they do.

Only when you admit the truth of which the Holy Spirit convicts you, do you give Him back the ball. And do you know what He does with it?

He unveils the Son.

He unveils His Son to you and then you love Him.

You have a new revelation of Him and you love Him and then…you surrender.

Repentance is the door to God.

Repentance is the door…to seeing God.

Do you understand the game now? Let’s go back over it.

God takes the ball and throws it to you and says:

“This is you! This is the truth about YOU.”

And you can say, “Oh, but…no!” and you drop the ball.

The game ends right there.

Or you say, “Yes, Lord, I see. I repent.” You throw the ball back to Him.

He gives you a revelation of Christ.

He throws the ball back to you and you love Him and you surrender.

You throw the ball back to Him…

You are ready then for the next game because it is a cycle that goes on and on and on through life. Those who drop the ball break the cycle and never come to this kind of love that I have presented to you here – the kind of burning, intense love for Christ.

So you see, you really have to learn how to repent.

The cycle goes on and on, deeper and deeper, more and more.

Your repentance is deeper.

Your vision is higher.

Your love is richer,

and your surrender is lower.

Repentance, revelation, love, surrender.

Your vision of Christ is proportionate to your assuming responsibility for: who you are, what you are, what you have done, and what you can do.

Your life will pivot on your repentance.

Your life will turn;

Your life will fall;

Or your life will rise…on your repentance.

And your love for Christ will precisely equal your repentance.

So, you want to see Him more? Agree with Him more!

Lord, move our hearts to quickly agree with You about our sin that we may confess and repent. We want to see you Lord. More Lord!

"No Smell of Smoke"

I wonder what it is that you are walking through right now that seeks to zap you of your faith, courage, hope, dream or passion? What is it that tempts you to believe that God is not as good as you had always thought? What fire seems to never die down, but instead seems to be heated up seven times hotter than before?

With tears trickling down her cheeks and a tender smile on her face, she shared the newest details of her fiery furnace experience. Amidst all the lies, wounds, secrets, dishonesty, she still held on to what God had said. Many unknowns surfacing daily, yet daily she is choosing to believe God. I see the glory of God on her face as she displays His peace and His grace.

I listened and inwardly wondered how I would react if I was the one tossed into this fiery furnace. Would I listen to the lies of the enemy threatening to destroy me or would I believe what I knew to be true about my God?

It was obvious that she believed Is. 43:2. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Her life displayed an unwavering faith in God. She was facing the facts of what was really going on, but she chose truth over lies. He promised to be with her and never leave her alone. He promised to be her wisdom. He promised to guide her in the way she should go. He promised to provide for her.

We are all passing through something. The important thing is what we choose to believe while we are passing through. I love to declare, “I am passing through. This is not a forever sentence on my life, but I am passing through and He is with me.” Some of you need to join me and my dear friend and practice saying it with us. “I am passing through and He is with me.”

Have you ever noticed that when you pass through the water and the fire, your faith is increased? Your hope is built. You become anchored in His word, and you find Him faithful. You find yourself filled with courage and strength and you are certain it did not come from yourself. The next storm and the threatening heat of the next furnace do not seem quite so overwhelming. He did it before; therefore, I can believe He will do it again.

At the close of our time together, I told her, “I don’t smell smoke on you.” She stared at me with a questioning look. I reminded her of the story in the Bible found in Daniel 3. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had been thrown into the hotter than hot furnace because they would not bow down to the King’s newest gold idol. They believed in one true God and refused to worship any other even if it meant their lives. When the test was over and the furnace door opened, the three walked out unharmed.

The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s counselors

gathered around them and saw that in regard to these men

the fire had no effect on their bodies—their hair was not singed,

their clothes were not scorched or damaged,

even the smell of smoke was not on them. Daniel 3:27

No smell of smoke! Now we all know that you can’t even roast one marshmallow without the smell of smoke being on you. Oftentimes we carry the smell of smoke on our lives because we want to cling to the fiery experience and be sure that everyone knows of our suffering. As I heard Joyce Meyer once say, “We are supposed to come through the test with a testimony, but often we come through with nothing but the moanies!” We moan and groan so that everyone will know how horrible it was. We wear our bitterness and pity around like a smelly smoke drenched robe. But, not this friend. She was praising God in the midst of the fire and His name was on her lips. Her faith in Him was declared. I believe she would say like the three furnace brothers:

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it and he will rescue us from your hand, O King. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3: 17,18

I find that the best way to turn smoke into praise is through thanksgiving. I look for all that I can be thankful for. I turn my focus from the flame to the fire of God that is Lord over the fire.

My friend, I invite you to join us as we choose to believe God as we are passing through. We choose that He will have the victory in all I am passing through. May I come through with no smell of smoke and giving glory and honor to the Most High God!