(Anthony got my shoes back later that day, even he said it was very difficult to get them out.)
If you have been wondering why there hasn’t been an entry before now, I will tell you. Apart from tech problems today (my fault). I have been back and forth in my mind about today’s illustration, if I should do it or not. I did not want to appear disrespectful. But it kept coming back to me since last Friday evening. I realise for some of you it may be unpleasant, as you don’t talk about it, let alone in the context of Christian things. That is when I realised I had to do it for as horrible it may be for some of you to think of, the equivalent is many times more abhorrent to God.
Following on from our last talk, did that ridiculous image of me stay with you? Even after I lost both my shoes in the mud and got out barefoot, I still had Hamish’s bag of poop. I want that image to stay with us, not just today but every time we clean up our dog’s poop. So we can remember to ask ourselves the following question: Am I carrying the equivalent of that bag of poop around with me?
What am I talking about? -
It can be a god, (although sometimes we would never admit that!) a sin, a source of comfort, or it may be an area in life you still want some control over. That secret sin, that area you might not even acknowledge it’s even there but in the recess of your mind you have a heavily padlocked door. Do you reason with God, ‘look in every other area of my life to see if there is anything I need to confess or let you be Lord in, but don’t go to that out-of-limits area.’
Even when God rescues us from our miry pit, like me holding onto Hamish’s poop bag, we can confess and give over to God a lot, but often there is that thing we aren’t quite ready to give up or over to God 100%.
Oh if only we would realise what we are trying to hold onto isn’t worth it. It’s holding us back from a deeper walk, deeper blessings and closeness with God.
If you have been wondering why there hasn’t been an entry before now, I will tell you. Apart from tech problems today (my fault). I have been back and forth in my mind about today’s illustration, if I should do it or not. I did not want to appear disrespectful. But it kept coming back to me since last Friday evening. I realise for some of you it may be unpleasant, as you don’t talk about it, let alone in the context of Christian things. That is when I realised I had to do it for as horrible it may be for some of you to think of, the equivalent is many times more abhorrent to God.
Following on from our last talk, did that ridiculous image of me stay with you? Even after I lost both my shoes in the mud and got out barefoot, I still had Hamish’s bag of poop. I want that image to stay with us, not just today but every time we clean up our dog’s poop. So we can remember to ask ourselves the following question: Am I carrying the equivalent of that bag of poop around with me?
What am I talking about? -
It can be a god, (although sometimes we would never admit that!) a sin, a source of comfort, or it may be an area in life you still want some control over. That secret sin, that area you might not even acknowledge it’s even there but in the recess of your mind you have a heavily padlocked door. Do you reason with God, ‘look in every other area of my life to see if there is anything I need to confess or let you be Lord in, but don’t go to that out-of-limits area.’
Even when God rescues us from our miry pit, like me holding onto Hamish’s poop bag, we can confess and give over to God a lot, but often there is that thing we aren’t quite ready to give up or over to God 100%.
Oh if only we would realise what we are trying to hold onto isn’t worth it. It’s holding us back from a deeper walk, deeper blessings and closeness with God.
We have to open up everything to God, not just in the areas we are comfortable letting God into. All those dark, scary places that even we are too scared to go into: When God’s light shines on everything in our lives, that dark hidden place is exposed to His light. We see it for what it is – the equivalent of that bag of poop – stinky, messy and horrible.
When we see it for what it really is, by God showing us through his word and prayer, we realise we look as ridiculous as I did last Friday. That thing we have been guarding like the crown jewels or being so secretive over what it is – even to ourselves sometimes, it’s just poop!
I laughed thinking of what I looked like if anyone had seen me walking home like that. And yet that is what we often do with God. We act like we aren’t carrying that bag around. God sees it. We can try and pour perfume over it to cover the stench. It may fool everyone else and even ourselves for a while but you can’t fool God. Do you know how stupid we must look to God doing this?
Just like talking about poop is embarrassing, sometimes it’s because it’s embarrassing we don’t want to admit to God all our sin or failures and shortcomings. But when we realise he is El Roi and knows about it anyway it’s a relief when we give it over to God.
Now I was being a good neighbour cleaning up the mess. Hamish couldn’t do it, only I could. We can try and clean up our own mess, but we would only make a bigger mess or mask it. The only person that can truly clean up our ‘mess’ is Jesus. Only Jesus can take away all our sin. “He turns our darkness into light.”
There may be many things in your life that need cleaning out. There have been times I have had the equivalent of multiple bags hidden all over the place! When we make God, Lord in ALL of our life, confessing ALL our sins, giving up EVERYTHING to God that is when God pours out His DEEPEST blessing on us.
So often we want to be Spirit filled but are disappointed because we don’t see much fruit in our life.
I have just finished Beth Moore study on ‘living beyond yourself’ – exploring the fruit of the spirit. It was amazing going through it, and the most helpful, wonderful study to me. I really encourage you to do it. Beth Moore said this “we are as filled with the Holy Spirit as we are yielded to Him and controlled by Him.” (week 2, day 2)
How yielded are we (“To give over possession of, as in deference or defeat; surrender.”) to God?
This should be an encouraging message for us to hear. I don’t want you to read this, or anything I ever say and be disheartened or discouraged. For by recognising any sin or anything we haven’t given over to God yet, we can come to God and be forgiven. The consequence of doing this means a more Spirit filled life!
“He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.'” Job 33:28
When we see it for what it really is, by God showing us through his word and prayer, we realise we look as ridiculous as I did last Friday. That thing we have been guarding like the crown jewels or being so secretive over what it is – even to ourselves sometimes, it’s just poop!
I laughed thinking of what I looked like if anyone had seen me walking home like that. And yet that is what we often do with God. We act like we aren’t carrying that bag around. God sees it. We can try and pour perfume over it to cover the stench. It may fool everyone else and even ourselves for a while but you can’t fool God. Do you know how stupid we must look to God doing this?
Just like talking about poop is embarrassing, sometimes it’s because it’s embarrassing we don’t want to admit to God all our sin or failures and shortcomings. But when we realise he is El Roi and knows about it anyway it’s a relief when we give it over to God.
Now I was being a good neighbour cleaning up the mess. Hamish couldn’t do it, only I could. We can try and clean up our own mess, but we would only make a bigger mess or mask it. The only person that can truly clean up our ‘mess’ is Jesus. Only Jesus can take away all our sin. “He turns our darkness into light.”
There may be many things in your life that need cleaning out. There have been times I have had the equivalent of multiple bags hidden all over the place! When we make God, Lord in ALL of our life, confessing ALL our sins, giving up EVERYTHING to God that is when God pours out His DEEPEST blessing on us.
So often we want to be Spirit filled but are disappointed because we don’t see much fruit in our life.
I have just finished Beth Moore study on ‘living beyond yourself’ – exploring the fruit of the spirit. It was amazing going through it, and the most helpful, wonderful study to me. I really encourage you to do it. Beth Moore said this “we are as filled with the Holy Spirit as we are yielded to Him and controlled by Him.” (week 2, day 2)
How yielded are we (“To give over possession of, as in deference or defeat; surrender.”) to God?
This should be an encouraging message for us to hear. I don’t want you to read this, or anything I ever say and be disheartened or discouraged. For by recognising any sin or anything we haven’t given over to God yet, we can come to God and be forgiven. The consequence of doing this means a more Spirit filled life!
“He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.'” Job 33:28
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