Set Free 1 - Beauty from Ashes

Captivity. Bound. Stuck. Oppressed. Slave. Enslaved. Bondage.

These words surely evoke some strong emotions. If you are like most of us, probable one or more of those words brought to mind a specific memory, situation, or person in your life.

Now let’s try a new set of words on for size:

Freedom. Free. Deliverance. Liberated. Liberty. Voluntary. Choice. Gratitude.

Different feelings, right? So tied together but so very different. And if you’re like most, there are some in that second group that seem a bit intangible, even foreign.

But they don’t have to be.

Not with Jesus.

In the next several sessions we’re going to look at how. It is my prayer that many of you would find healing, deliverance, and know (maybe even for the first time) what it means to be free in Christ.

Please realize that, as I pen this, I am still a pilgrim on a journey. So much progress has been made in my heart, but there’s still a long way to go.

You are not alone. I have not arrived. And though they are becoming less, I still have days when I struggle in this area, and I know there still many ahead.

Mark 14:38 or Matthew 26:41 “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” NLT

That said, let’s dig in.

The first thing I notice is that all are in bondage to begin with.

Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” NLT

Romans 3:10 “As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one.”” NLT

Romans 5:12 “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” NLT

As soon as we are born, we are in bondage to sin. Born with a sin nature, we serve sin. We are sin’s slave.

But the next thing I noticed was Jesus. Look at Him in our base text for today.

Read Luke 4:14-21.

Then flip over to see His heart in Luke 13:16

“Isn’t it right that she should be freed?”

It is right. No one should ever have to stay in bondage. Jesus’s heart cries for our freedom, and He came that we might have it. He gave His very life for us to have it.

It pains Him when we remain in bondage.

Even after we accept His free gift of salvation from our bondage to sin and its final sentence which is Hell, we sometimes remain in bondage.

This type of bondage has perhaps a few sources. The main one I’d like to consider today comes in the form of a spiritual attack.

Turn to 1 Peter 5.

1 Peter 5:8 “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” NLT

Satan would like nothing more than to turn our minds and heart and hope away from Jesus. Sometimes he attacks strongholds – the strong marriages, solid churches, or the mature Christians who stand to fall farther and often would pull people with them – creating a bigger victory for himself.

But sometimes, he attacks the weak spots. A small victory is better than no victory, right?

That spot where it already hurts, he plants a doubt:

God can’t help you with this one. This will never go away.

That fear you’re struggling to give over to God:

God’s not listening anyway. Your fears will come true.

And the guilt you can’t let go, he rubs raw.

You’re awful. No real Christian would’ve done what you’ve done. You should feel terrible.

And he splashes a big bucket of burning shame on you.

He hates you.

But Jesus.

But Jesus doesn’t.

Jesus loves you!

And He always will. He always thinks you’re worth it!

Look at the verse prior to the one we just looked at in 1 Peter. (I like the Amplified version, but will include both it and NKJV, because a shorter verse is easier to memorize and tuck away in your armor.)

1 Peter 5:7 “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” AMP

1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” NKJV

For today, I’d love for you to prayerfully ask God to reveal any areas of bondage in your life.

It may be obvious. It may not. It may be something you thought you already dealt with.

Be open to what He reveals.

Read the rest of the 1 Peter passage. Slowly; digesting it little by little. It is so applicable.

1 Peter 5:5-6 “In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for God opposes the proud but favors the humble.  So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” NLT

This humility is what we need for Him to reveal any painful chains.

1 Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” NLT

Hand them over. They’re too heavy for you, sister. He cares for you enough to take them.

1 Peter 5:8-9a “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith…” NLT

Be wary, and put up your Shield.  (Ephesians 6:16)

1 Peter 5:9b “…Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” NLT

You’re not alone. Satan may try to get you to feel like you are, but Scripture is Truth, because God is Truth, and it says there are others like you, with like struggles.

Even Jesus went through it.

Hebrews 4:15b “…for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” NLT

1 Peter 5:10-11 “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen.” NLT

This is temporary. God has the power to restore you. He has the power and desire to break your bondage.

Before we close, let’s look at the passage Jesus opened the Scriptures up to in our initial text in Luke 4. Drink it in.

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,    because the Lord has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,    to proclaim freedom for the captives    and release from darkness for the prisoners,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor    and the day of vengeance of our God,to comfort all who mourn,    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty    instead of ashes,the oil of joy    instead of mourning,and a garment of praise    instead of a spirit of despair.They will be called oaks of righteousness,    a planting of the Lord    for the display of his splendor.” NLT

In fact, let’s memorize this together, over the next weeks of our study together.
You can get a free printable card of this passage here

Matthew Henry brings out the poetry of that exchange – beauty for ashes.

A play on words – rearranging the actual word ‘ashes’ (epher) and turning it into ‘beauty’ (pheer).

And isn’t that so fitting?

Pray now about your bondage – no matter what kind it may be – that God would reveal it, take it, and turn it into something beautiful.

The Resurrection and the Life

I just really like Jesus. I do love Him, but I really am starting to like Him too. Taking a look at His personality and presence while He was physically present on earth.

So much mystery and so much simple transparency all wrapped up together. He speaks like a poet one minute and like a teacher of children the next, putting everything plain and simple.

In the end of John 10 (Jn 10:22-24) Jesus plainly claims diety. But in many other passages, Jesus is more subtle and used the name God used for Himself “I AM” (Exodus 3:14) Whenever Jesus used ‘I Am’ He was not only saying what He was saying (I am the Vine; I am the Door, etc), but He was also saying, “I am God.”

Our text today is John 11. Please read it now and I’ll wait.

See what I mean about how Jesus talks? I noticed it again in verses 11-14. Praise Him for not criticizing our feeble understanding, Amen?

Our key verses are 25-26

John 11:25-26 “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

(Why don’t you fill in your name in place of Martha’s?)

There’s that ‘I Am’ statement again. Don’t you love it? I don’t know about you but I’m glad Jesus is God. Otherwise I think there’d be a lingering doubt that the Sacrifice really wasn’t good enough.

Let’s back up a bit and look at the passage from the beginning. Lazarus was sick and they sent to Jesus for help. His plan was not their plan.

See verse 33. I don’t like the NLT for this one, where it says “a deep anger welled up within him”. Let’s look at either the AMP version, or the NASB

John 11:33b “…He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. [He chafed in spirit and sighed and was disturbed.]” AMP John 11:33b “…He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled.” NASB

I don’t believe Jesus was angry as much as vexed or grief stricken. It grieved Him to see them hurting. I can’t believe Christ was really grieved about the loss of Lazarus, because He knew they’d be together again. Maybe Christ was grieved because just because of death itself – because sin had entered the perfect, God-filled creation. That was never how God had intended for it to be. What a scorching reminder. (I encourage you to share your thoughts on this in the comments. This is just my opinion. What do you think?)

What a man of emotion.

John 11:35 “Then Jesus wept.” NLT

And in His weeping, they recognized His love for Lazarus. That love He holds for each of us.

Death hurts.

Separation hurts.

And it was never part of God’s ideal world.

But we messed it up and as a fallen world, death comes with it.

Praise Jesus that He is Life, and that with Him there is no real death. Just transfer from one life (temporal, earthly) to the next – our eternal, painless one in Heaven.

If God doesn’t like death either, then why did He allow it? The answer is all over our passage – note these verses:

John 11:4b “…it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” NLT

(Note: He is claiming deity again, and claiming glory.  He, Christ, must be recognized as God.)

And verses 40-42; before Lazarus was even raised. Jesus prays His thanks, praising God out loud for testimony, and again to claim sonship. Notice His prayer before Lazarus walks out.

John 11:40-42 “Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” NLT

It worked. People believed, and God got the glory.

John 11:45 “Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.” NLT

 Now can you see God’s plan in this death? Lazarus’s sisters Mary and Martha, and likely many others there, did not understand why Jesus didn’t come sooner. (See verse 32) But those who believed because of this occurrence wouldn’t have believed otherwise. He does always know best, praise Him.

Let’s take a real quick look before we close at verses 46-57. Because of this act, Jesus became a wanted man. Not for lawlessness, but really for God-ness. The Pharisees did not want to believe His deity, and so sought to kill Him.

Christ, being God, saw everything – so He knew this was to come, did He not?

But did that stop Him? No way.

He trusted in the Father’s plan; He knew this was best. God’s work is always worth the risk.

Always.

In summary I’d like to add one thought.

“I am the resurrection and the life” – Lazarus wasn’t the only life restored that day. Because really, in our sin, we are already dead, so salvation is a form of resurrection, yes?

I love that He doesn’t say, “I give resurrection and life,” or even that “I will resurrect from the dead.” Rather, it is so much a part of His nature that He says, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”

He is.

Praise Him.

In your prayer time, spend some time thanking Him for what may seem like an unanswered prayer. He may just have a better answer waiting. And thank Him that He is Resurrection, and that He is Life.

Death is not forever. God has a purpose in allowing His children hurt, suffering, loss, and yes even death.

Trust Him, dear ones.

This post is in memory of my friend, a dear sister in Christ who God brought home 6 months ago today, seemingly before her time. God does have a purpose, and may we recognize and bless Him for that.

We will see you again soon.

Pearls and Glitter

 As we wrap up our Bride of Christ series, I’d love to do a short survey. When you hear “Bride” what’s the first thing you think of?

Wedding. Love. Young. Beautiful.

If you’re like many people, these are some of the things you associate with brides.

For me, my first thought is “white” and then my mind starts adding in glitter, flowers, and of course some tulle.

So that was fun. But do you get the idea? This is a momentous occasion that typically even the most rough-and-tumble get cleaned up nice for.

This is where we are at in our text. Please read Revelation 21.

We’re here finally. The dark times are over, all hard lessons learned. The last bit of polishing, smoothing and styling are done. The Bride is ready to present to her (literally) perfect Groom.

It’s been a long time coming.

Revelation 21:5-6 “And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.” NLT

Here is fulfillment. Here is where His promises are fulfilled, and all the faith and blind trust (but not always blind right? Haven’t we seen evidence of Him at work?) comes to fruition and we can actually put our hands on the tantalizing…

Revelation 21:7 “All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings…” NLT

…and the vows are spoken!

Rev 21:7 “…and I will be their God, and they will be my children.” NLT

That’s vow He’s been saying all along. He loves you so much, Dear One.

The bride. Just have a look. This is beauty. True, lasting beauty. Her heart is pure, sweet genuine smile on her face, a smile driven from endless gratefulness for a gift she can never repay. This is it. And an angel presents her.

When the Bride is presented, she shines and sparkles. (I believe God loves glitter and sparkly just as much as our inner Princess does. Don’t you agree?)

And her Groom wipes every tear from her eye (Revelation 21:4) whispering, “I love you more than you will ever know. You were so worth it. I’m glad you’re here. You will never have any more pain or any tears ever again. You are Mine.”

Oh that will be heaven. And it will literally be Heaven.

Are you reading this beautiful account?
It is so beautiful. Read it slowly, and picture in your mind what your Prince has in store for you!

I encourage you to look at verse 19, and then do an image search for each of those precious stones mentioned. And we are those precious stones, yes? See the beauty! And in it, see and feel a bit of God’s heart. He loves you so so much!

One thing too, I’d like to discuss, is the pearl mentioned in verse 21.

Revelation 21:21a “The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl!” NLT

The ‘pearly gates’ are more rightly called the Pearl Gates, for they are not ‘pearl-like’ but each of the twelve gates is an actual pearl.

Go with me for a moment – remember how a pearl is made? Would these large of pearls even be possible without our awesome God?

I love pearls for this reason – they truly are a beauty birthed from discomfort; the waxing beauty out of pain, and the longer the pain, the greater the beauty.

Perhaps why God chose pearl gates? Beauty from pain. Beauty received only at the time of restoration, when God cracks open the shell, and holds the pearl in His loving hand. And the gates are pearl.

Beauty from pain.

Walk through it, Dear One. Walk into His beautiful presence as the pure, beautiful Bride of Christ.

The Painful Lesson 9 - Restored at Last

How are you, sister? I’m so glad you’ve stayed with me on this journey. It’s an important one.

We pick up today again in Jeremiah chapter 30. I’d like you to read it again. Again these are words written to Israel, but we, the Bride of Christ have plenty we can apply here. Because God is unchanging, bless Him, and His heart is the same heart that beat for Israel that is beating today for us.

Are you ready?

In Jeremiah 30:14 it says all your lovers – all those things you ran into the arms of instead of your Groom, your loving God – they have left. You are beginning to recognize what is faithfulness and what is not. They most definitely were not. And your Groom most definitely is. He is so faithful.

No one else still cares for you (30:17) but God still cares, and He will bring you honor.

Honor? Really? I’d be okay with just being accepted again after cheating on Him. But honored? By God Himself?

I feel so unworthy.

Claimed. Covenant repeated.

Jeremiah 30:22 “You will be My people and I will be your God.” NLT

His planned punishment is fulfilled and His anger appeased.

Blessings even in a barren land.

Is that just wonderful or what? Feeling in a dry place a lot of the time, there are blessing we can count on even then.

Believer, why? Why all this? Here's why:

Jeremiah 31:3-4 “Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
I will rebuild you, my virgin Israel.
    You will again be happy
    and dance merrily with your tambourines.” NLT

I. My. Circle those. Or draw a heart around them. It’s okay if you haven’t drawn hearts since your high school crush. Or first love. Do it – because we are that first love, and He is ours. And He’s drawing us close.

You will again be happy.

Read through 31:1-14 Do you feel the joy? The celebration?

This is it. This is what it’s all about. Our Holy Bridegroom wants to rejoice over us, but he needs to be holy and able to. This Bride has emerged from a dark punishment to a beautiful, radian, joyful bride. Tears of joy. All sorrow gone.

This is the great exchange. Sorrow for rejoicing. True repentance brings this kind of joy and restoration.

Jeremiah 31:18 “I have heard Israel saying,
‘You disciplined me severely,
    like a calf that needs training for the yoke.
Turn me again to you and restore me,
    for you alone are the Lord my God.” NLT

No longer groaning, “Why, God?”, but acknowledging it.

Jeremiah 31:20 ““Is not Israel still my son,
    my darling child?” says the Lord.
“I often have to punish him,
    but I still love him.
That’s why I long for him
    and surely will have mercy on him.” NLT

Punishment because of love.

And, the call to learn your lesson. Let’s camp here for a minute.

Jeremiah 31:21a “Set up road signs;
    put up guideposts.
Mark well the path
    by which you came…” NLT

Set up roadsigns. Learn from your mistakes. Put up big warning “Do Not Enter” signs – I don’t know about you but I always (yes, always. I may be a bit overimaginative at times) shudder when I see those “Do Not Enter” signs while driving. I imagine the worst possible scenario, often ending in death, should I space off and drive there anyway.

But shouldn’t we? It does end in death. These things we are to set up waymarks and roadsigns for.

Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” NIV

You have been there – you want to mark the way so it was worth the pain, and you don’t return there again. Learn your lesson.

I find it interesting that when the people returned to Israel, they re-learned the language. They renounced the language of the world at the time, and so even their words set them apart as God’s people. source

Just as deliberately as God destroyed them, He built them up again.

Jeremiah 32:42 “This is what the Lord says: Just as I have brought all these calamities on them, so I will do all the good I have promised them.” NLT

We are not too far gone! (Jer 32:17) He is not going to reject us because we are too bad. He would no sooner reject us completely tan He would drop the earth out of orbit. (31:36-44) He is faithful. We have broken the covenant and He has loved us anyway. (31:32) He is faithful. And He writes the covenant deep. Deeper. Deep on our hearts.

I will be their God.

They will be my people. (32:38)

We are not too far gone!

Jeremiah 32:17 “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” NLT emphasis mine

Not only has He promised to bring us back, but He also gives us peace and safety. We are His people. He is our God. No Matter What!

And for our own good, He also gives us purpose. One purpose. And that is to worship Him. Forever. For this is an everlasting covenant. He will never stop doing good to us. It brings Him such joy.

Jeremiah 32:38-41 “They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. 41 I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land.”

They will never leave (40) – we will never leave – because of what He has put in our hearts.

Finish up by reading Jeremiah 33.

Notice verses 6-9, and notice all the uses of “I will”.

Let us tremble with awe at all He has done for us.

Once more there will be he sounds of joy and laughter – this is God’s restoration – the joy from brides and bridegrooms (and of His Bride, yes?) along with the praise of our Lord.

Jeremiah 33:11 “the sounds of joy and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again, along with the joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord. They will sing,
‘Give thanks to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    for the Lord is good.
    His faithful love endures forever!’
For I will restore the prosperity of this land to what it was in the past, says the Lord.” NLT

It wasn’t really rejection in the sense we think of it – our view of relationship is so finite. God is the only Faithful One with Whom rejection is not forever. When someone on earth rejects us, we move on, don’t we? Eventually. Not so with God.

So faithful. Are you noticing a theme here? I am. In the study of the Bride of Christ I don’t know what I expected to find, but this I know for certain – we have a faithful Groom.

God is faithful.

What are you giving thanks for today? The Lord is good. Let us tremble with awe.

His faithfulness endures forever.

                                         and ever

                                                 and happily ever after.

The Painful Lesson 8 - Pain Before Restoration

Are you enjoying our little Bride of Christ detour through Jeremiah? I had no idea God would turn this into so much study material. But He is wise, faithful and good, amen?

Today we look at Jeremiah 26-30. You can read it all now, or space it out as we go along.

This is the darkness before dawn. The pain before restoration.

In chapter 27 we see the way there is no escape from the consequences. The Lord will make your consequences follow you. You can be sure of it. See Numbers 32:23 & Jeremiah 25:35.

There is not place to escape Him, and He is the only way out. Funny how it works that way. He is all around us, and He is the Door, but we’d sooner try to dig away at the walls until our fingers bleed than just accept His way and simply walk through it.

So daughters, know that He knows. You’re not going to slide one by and get by with it.

But what about the people who do get away with it? That Christian who says biting words behind your back. Those believers who neglect their family, or put money and career above all else. What about those believers who have walked out on their family? Those unfaithful to their spouse. Those awful times when children are abused and women taken advantage of, with no punishment when punishment is due. What then? Where’s the sentence, or sure consequences then?

Yeah, there’s those too. Even here in our passage. Jeremiah 29:16-17 Those who did not physically reap the consequences of separation still got consequences. They were ruined like “bad figs (ch 24)”.

So, sisters, I ask- no pointing fingers here. No complaining. Let’s just look at ourselves, and our own deceitful heart for right now. Everyone’s gonna get theirs.

Now before you get the wrong idea, God does not thrive on punishment. See 27:17 and look for God’s heart in it. He really doesn’t just sit there waiting to catch you screwing up. But He does know when you do.

Don’t listen to anyone around you who is telling you that you are okay in your sin, or anyone justifying it for you (or with you). Yes, it may be what you’d rather hear, but ultimately it leads you to fall harder.

God’s voice is the only One you can trust.

Chapter 28 is a specific example of what happened to one man who spoke trying to comfort the Israelites in their sin; he contradicted God’s words in God’s name.

Now I’d like you to take a look at chapter 29. Here we fast forward the story into the captivity of Israel (Daniel 1) into Babylon. They were ripped from their homes, and taught to throw out all knowledge of God. Brainwashed. This is where we pick up. Read Jeremiah 29, and probably you’ll stop where I stopped, stunned. Read and I’ll wait.

Was it verse 11? I thought so. Have you ever read that in context before? I must not have. I was stunned.

Jeremiah 29:11-12 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen.” NLT

This verse means so much more to me now. Does it you?

Continue on to verses 13-14

Jeremiah 29:13-14 “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” NLT (emphasis mine)

He is not saying “Goodbye forever; you screwed up,” but rather He is saying, “Here is my number. When you are really truly ready to come back to Me, I will be here. I will gather you when your sentence is up.”

He is ever faithful.

Take heart in this, Dear one. He is coming for you. He will be back when the time is right. And His promise is one we can lean on when we’ve really messed up – when it feels like you’ve had about as much consequence as you can take. When you’re crying to Him, when He is Who you turn to, finally exhausted of trying to do it all on your own. He will be there.

Read chapter 30

Jeremiah 30:11b “…I will not completely destroy you.I will discipline you, but with justice;    I cannot let you go unpunished.” NLT

He is too holy to let us go unpunished, but He will not completely destroy us in that punishment. And He will restore. Jeremiah 27:22

 God brings the restoration. And God alone brings restoration.

Jeremiah 30:17a “I will… heal your wounds,” says the Lord…” NLT

The next session is the last in our detour through our Bride of Christ series, and it is a good one. Much happier, I promise.  The Groom calls back and gathers His Bride!

In the meantime, I ask you to determine what in your heart is holding back. Is there something?

It says in Jeremiah 29:13 we must seek Him with our whole heart.

Do.

Offer every broken hurt, torn, stained, ugly piece of your heart, and be ready to find healing.

Matthew 11:28 “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” NLT

The Painful Lesson 6 – Crumbled Clay

I found the potter working at the wheel. But the vessel he was making did not turn out as he hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay and started again.

Today we cover a lot of ground. Our text is from Jeremiah 18 (18:1-17 specifically), 19, 21, 22, 23, & 24

How can we get God to start over on us? Do we really truly want Him to?

It can be so painful.

We’ve talked about how God wants His Bride to be holy. Be worthy of her title. But the only way for that to be accomplished is our complete surrender.

Is it that God just lets go of the wheel and lets us crash our own cart? Maybe. Please don’t misunderstand. God is still in control! He is still here! He has never, and will lever leave. You can count on that if that’s the only thing in all the world you can count on.

Because it is.

Jeremiah must have been like me. Object lessons really hit home for him. I love how God knows each of us so intimately that He knows how to send a message that will deliver the greatest impact; tailored for each of His children.

Don’t you just love Him for that?

Read Jeremiah 18:1-17 & 19

Jeremiah 18:3 “So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. 4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. 5 Then the Lord gave me this message: 6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.” NLT

I know we have all got to (some of us many times) come to a place where God is all that is left, so God is all we need. And He wants us there sooner rather than later. Some of us are content with God alone, and could take or leave everything else in life. Good for you, if that’s you. But if you’re like me, it has taken hard lesson after lost relationship after hurt heart to get me there. Are you with me?

And it is cyclical, with ups and downs, and do-overs; much like the Israelites really. But God hasn’t let go, hasn’t given up and most definitely is faithful to complete the work He started in you.

Philippians 1:6 “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” NLT

So maybe He lets go and lets us crash our own cart. But maybe He has more specific timing and wants it to happen a certain way “so that we know His power.”

Raising up situations. Taking away comfort-zones. God patiently prunes. Purging. God is taking your comfortable land away from you. Read Chapters 21 & 22 Especially take note of 21:14, and 22:5-6

He is taking everything you know, that place you cling to – that maybe you haven’t realized you were leaning on and trusting in more than in God? – He’s turning it to rubble.

Why? Are you still with me? Because we replaced Him. He didn’t value God in our prosperity. In our security. In our happy relationship with that person. In our comfortable job. Because we adulterated ourselves with something- anything- other than Him. Relationships took priority. Or job, or crafting, or cleaning. What about hurt, self-pity? Can you fill in the blank with me on this? Because we violated our covenant (22:9)

Romans 1:18-31

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts… and [they] received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

See Jeremiah 22, especially 5-6, 12, 20-30

Are you feeling like your life is crumbling? Maybe God destroyed those ‘lovers’ you cheated on Him with, and now all you have is Him. He did it because He loves you, sweet sister.

Next read Jeremiah 23-24. (These are both short chapters. You will be glad you did) Especially take note of 23:23-24 & 29

Jer 23:23 ““Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord.    “No, I am far away at the same time.24 Can anyone hide from me in a secret place?    Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?”    says the Lord.” NLT

He has been here the whole time. He knows it all. Where did you think you could’ve gone that He couldn’t see?

This makes me just want to curl up into a ball a little. A lot.

But then isn’t that just what He wanted in the first place? A ball. A lump of clay. That lump of clay that He will start over, rebuild and reshape until you are how He intended.

Read Jeremiah 24, looking closely at 24:4-8

Replanted, nurtured, and re-established in Him. Let him give you that heart. It is not going to “just happen”. Dear One, nothing ever “just happens”. He has a very intentional purpose for you. And He cares too much to leave you to chance. He will crumble you and rebuild you as many times as it takes to get it right. And He gives you the heart that you need. Let Him.

Jeremiah 24:7 “I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.” NLT

The Painful Lesson 5 - Broken to Heal

The ground is parched and cracked for lack of rain. Where is God? Don’t abandon us, God. Don’t abandon me. I am Your chosen one. I bear Your name. For Your own reputation’s sake don’t abandon me.

I know you have cried this at one time or another. Right now? No fun, is it? No, the honeymoon is over – and the bride is not ready for that.

But who ended the honeymoon in the first place? Wasn’t it she herself? In this case it was.

“I’m ready to go home. I’m bored. Can’t I go and have some fun by myself for a while? No, I want to carry my own luggage, thank you. I can do this.”

And as the faithful Groom always does, He expresses love. “As you wish.” So He lets go. No, not forever. He’s not even far away. But He lets go.

And when He does, the Bride can’t understand. – we don’t always understand, do we? – I don’t understand. I have taken your name. We have made covenant. I am your bride.

Out text today is Jeremiah 14-17. You can go ahead and read it now, or go along as we reference it.

But who left Who? (15:5-6) You are the one who left, not God. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you; you got what you demanded.

This Bride – we – demand so often the rights that come along with our title, and often try to tell God how we need Him to come through for us, because we want people to see Him in a good light. To see Him love.

We know all the right words, don’t we?

But this one’s not His fault.

We are the unfaithful ones. We are the ones who stepped out on Him.

16:11

It is not forever, though. Our Faithful God knows how long it will take for us to learn this lesson. 14:1-18, 16:15. He keeps a close eye.

See verse 14:17 “My precious people”. He still cares, Dear One!

So let’s go back to that reputation thing. We ask God to honor this Bride – this unfaithful, self-serving, ungrateful Bride – because of His Name. She has taken – we have taken – His name, and we don’t want His reputation to go down with us. We actually might care about that a little, or is it just something we were using as bait? Manipulation? But He knows. He doesn’t want His name to go down with us, either. See 16:21

Jeremiah 16:21 “The Lord says,“Now I will show them my power;    now I will show them my might.At last they will know and understand    that I am the Lord.” NLT

God is not a pushover. And while He is tender, He is not a softie. He does mean business  He does want His Bride back.

But this doesn’t apply to me.

Is that what you are thinking?

Are you sure about that? Listen, Sweet One. Do not close off your ears because it sounds ugly.

Romans 3:10 “As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—    not even one.” NLT 

What we are looking at is every part of the spectrum. Those willfully throwing away the covenant, or those throwing it out without realizing it. Let’s examine the latter to see if it fits: This Bride is claiming all the rights of a bride, but not wanting to hold up her side of the bargain. Not really really wanting to surrender all. All her way. Surrender what she wants to do and thinks will make her happy.

See in 17:4 “The wonderful possession I have reserved for you    will slip from your hands…” NLT

But watch her treasure slip away. Oh, the Groom has something special just for her, but, it was for His Bride, and she doesn’t want to truly commit to that role.

But I do. I am still not fitting in this picture.

Is that what I heard you say? That’s what I said. But read, now, in its context,

Jeremiah 17:9-10

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,

    and desperately wicked.

    Who really knows how bad it is?

10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts

    and examine secret motives.

I give all people their due rewards,

    according to what their actions deserve.” NLT

I didn’t ever know what context this was in. The heart is deceitful and wicked. God knows the heart!
Sisters, here is the point! The unfaithful bride still claims her status, still feels entitled to all the benefits of her position, but God, her Groom, sees her adultery for what it is. He knows separation is the only way for her wakeup call.

Be healed by seeing yourself broken. Be healed.

Jeremiah 17:14 “O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed;    if you save me, I will be truly saved…” NLT

Jer 17:7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord    and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” NLT

"But blessed..." See the beautiful contrast in those who are faithful, and those who seek elsewhere?

Trust Him when He says something to you. He’s calling you. Broken you. Lay down your pride and see your cracks. They may be hairline fractures, or there may be shattered pieces. Be healed, and trust His Word, and reach up to re-claim His hand. Be His Holy Bride.

The Painful Lesson 4 – Are You Weary?

All week we’ve been talking about the ins, outs, and whys of the unfaithful Bride’s punishment. Today we will gain some understanding about the why- the heart behind God’s decision.

Our text today is Jeremiah 12 and 13.

We will start at Jeremiah 12:7

“I will forsake my house,    abandon my inheritance;I will give the one I love    into the hands of her enemies.” NIV

We’ve all heard (or said) ‘this hurts me more than it hurts you’. A parent disciplines their child out of love. Here we see God lay out the details of Israel’s temporary demise. He wants for her to be dependent on Him, so He must strip her of all else. Anything she could turn to in His place. 

(Again, remember this is prophecy already fulfilled. He was speaking to Israel before their exile into Babylon. Please apply principles in your own life, putting yourself in the place of the Unfaithful Bride Israel.)

The land will be barren, parched, their livelihood is taken away and they will sow wheat, and reap thorns. They will wear themselves out and gain nothing. They will bear the shame of the harvest.

Finally right? But if that was us, would we be so eager for them to “get what was coming to them?” No way.

But we get that way. Are you worn out? Do you feel like you are spinning your wheels? Are you weary of trying? Maybe it’s time to get help.

Recently, my sisters and I were participating in an event that took place in a large field. It had rained a lot in the days leading up to the event, and the ground was soggy. We got our vehicle stuck in the mud. Very stuck. My sister was driving, and because she was new to driving she didn’t know how to get us out. We switched drivers, and got unstuck. (Yes, after quite a bit of effort!) A few minutes later, we got stuck again. This time we had some people push us as I rocked the car backwards and forwards.

I do have a point. How deep is your mud? Are you spinning your tires? Is it maybe time for a push? Or better yet, is it time to switch drivers in your life? Sisters, God wants to take the driver’s seat, and get us un-stuck, but not until we surrender the wheel. If we refuse to ask Him for help, all we’re going to get is deeper in the muck, dirty, tired, and worn out, and making no progress.

He’s waiting for your surrender.

In this scenario, (as well as ours?) God willfully let go. (Jeremiah 12:7-14) But look – He still kept an ear open for their cry. He lets the Bride move out, for instance, but He says “Here’s my number for when you’re sorry. When you have had enough.” More than that, He promised to come rescue them once they’d learned their lesson. (15-16) How kind, patient and understanding!

If you return to Me, I will restore you.       

Jeremiah 15:19 “This is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you…” NIV

Look again! He wants to restore us! When He restores, He fully restores. To the finest quality, to the most glorious state we would have. (13:18) He wants us to come down off our own thrones – he wants the impurities to be purged out. He wants us Holy. The only way for that to happen is by complete surrender.

Sometimes that purging is painful. Sometimes to create something good, a very painful process is involved. You moms out there – I know you can relate to the last part of 13:21 and to 22.

Jeremiah 13:21b “…Pangs of anguish will grip you,    like those of a woman in labor!” NLT

Birth pains. So worth it, but yes, very very painful.

This painful lesson. How long must we go through the painful lesson? (13:27)

How long is up to you.

How long will it take for you to surrender every last piece to Him? He’s waiting for His Bride to return. To be sorry for the adultery.

To love Him again.

How long?

The Painful Lesson 2 – Playing Both Sides

I’m so glad you’re back. This journey is a little painful, but so worth it.

We pick up today in Jeremiah 9. This ungrateful, selfish, unfaithful Bride.

Today the Groom has had enough. He knows the next part of the lesson is going to be painful both for Him and His Bride, but He knows how necessary it is.

Jeremiah 9:7 God asks “What else can I do?”

(If any of you are parents, you can probably relate.)

This situation is dire. God knows what must be done. His Bride must learn an important lesson. She needs knocked off her high horse.

Sisters, the time has come for a wakeup call. There is no fooling around. Time is up.

“Me or him,” is essentially what we hear from our Holy Bridegroom.

And guess what, we didn’t choose our Groom. And there are consequences.

She looks at her Groom and says to herself, ‘I will just pretend to choose Him. I don’t think He will notice. I’ll go to church, I’ll participate in choir. I’ll even help with the youth. Surely if I do all these things my Groom wants me to do, He will see I do still love Him, and then I’ll just play around on the side. I can have both.’

Wrong.

We can’t just obey in body. Our heart must be in it. (Jer 9:25)

He will not be mocked, or taken advantage of! (Jer 12:17)

Go back to chapter 9 for a moment, verse 19 specifically. This Bride is made to be humiliated. But, sisters, is this the end? What a pitiful story it would be if it was. Well, not pitiful really, just sad. A little too much like real life if you ask me.

And while this is not a fairy tale, and is indeed real life, there is a way better ending. This Groom is not just selfishly declaring “enough is enough; away with you, woman!” It really isn’t in His nature.

Read verse 9:24. Read it again.

The LORD demonstrates unfailing love, and delights in justice and righteousness.

He really really wants the best for you!

He demonstrates His love by consequences.

An ugly Bride indeed would be the one who gave herself out here and there forever in always, no end in sight to her actions, and unpunished for her faithfulness.

She’d make you sick to look at.

But don’t we? Don’t we think, ‘I’ve got my Heaven-ticket. I’m good.’

God forbid.

Romans 6:1-2 “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” NLT

We are supposed to be free from this behavior. Released. Separated. Divorced. Dead. Why do we want to go back to it?

What does that hold for us?

Jer 10:5 says it can do us no good.

(If you just read all of verse 5, you may be looking at me and saying ‘but it also says it can do no harm either’. If so, then you have missed the point. What that verse means is that these false gods hold no power. They are empty, vain, useless.)

Girls. We do have the best groom ever. We do. I beg you not to look elsewhere for fulfillment.

Jeremiah 10:6 “Lord, there is no one like you!    For you are great, and your name is full of power.” NLT

What an awesome God we serve. He sees us in our disgusting unfaithfulness and figures out what it will take for us to be restored to a good relationship once again. As a Holy God, He cannot sit idly by, but as a Groom with unfailing love, He sets us on a path of healing. Helping us learn this painful lesson. He does not give up on us so easily. He loves us so much He wants us back. In spite of ourselves. And He will do what it takes to get us there.

See you in a couple days, and we’ll take a closer look at how.

In the meantime, spend some time identifying in your heart whether your service is a front, or if you are doing it out of the raw, wholehearted love & devotion for Him.

1 Chr 28:9 “…Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought…” NLT

Mt 22:37 “Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”” NLT