The Origin of Unmet Needs - In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanley 2010

I am such a huge fan of getting a regular intake of Godly messages. One way I do this is through email devotions. They are short, to the point, and cover topics of great significance. I listen to WAVA on 105.1 in the DC metro area, and I got a tip from them for this devotional ministry from In Touch. Dr. Charles Stanley, you ROCK! I always get something out of these devotionals, and today's was no exception. I hope you too will benefit from this very important message about God's love, and how we look for love and validation in all the wrong places. I have struggled with this for a long time, but by the grace of God, He is seeing me through so that I become the person He designed me to be, rather than one pent up by fear. My you too begin to be free from the crushing blow that inevitably comes from seeking your value from man! God bless.

The Origin of Unmet Needs - In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanley 2010

No More Doubting Thomas

"Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?...The Lord answered, 'I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.'" ~ Judges 6: 14, 16

"Then Gideon said to God, 'Do not be angry with me. Let me make one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.' That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew." ~ Judges 6: 39-40

Footnote: "...Demanding extra signs was an indication of unbelief. Fear often makes us wait for more confirmation when we should be taking action. Visible signs are unnecessary if they only confirm what we already know to be true. Today the greatest means of God's guidance is his Word, the Bible. Unlike Gideon, we have God's complete, revealed Word. If you want to have more of God's guidance, don't ask for signs; study the Bible."

Wow, do I struggle with this same thing as Gideon, and later Thomas. I know what I am "supposed" to be doing, but it is so easy to get caught up in my fear and then keep asking God to "make it clear to me." I do this with so many different things, but definitely most often with things that might be perceived "negatively" by others. But, we are not supposed to be fearful of man's judgement, but of God's, so ultimately, when He tells me to do something and I don't because I am scared of what someone else might think, I am putting their value and importance higher than God's...ugh! Today is a new day though. Today we get another chance to begin doing what God is asking, whether or not we are fearful. Fear does not have to stop us...and I venture to say that the more we walk, even in fear, the less fear we continue to have because we experience God's provision and company. He is so great! I just love His promise to Gideon; "Go in the strength you have...I will be with you." What more do we need?!

The clear connection I see with this is the fact that we all know we are supposed to eat healthier foods and exercise regularly in order to keep our bodies healthy, but do we do that? Sadly, as a nation, we are becoming more and more overweight, obese, and morbidly obese...we are literally eating ourselves to death! This type of behavior does not honor God, nor does it honor His creation; our bodies. God has made His promise; He will be with us, so now we need to walk in obedience (no pun intended) and begin the process of living healthy, physically active lives. Doing so will show honor to God and the life He has given each and every one of us, as well as benefit us in amazing ways. God rewards the faithful and blesses obedience. This is definitely an area where the rewards are great and the blessings are known! Start today with changing your life, developing healthy habits, and becoming the you God designed you to be.

Of Great Worth

I have recently been thinking a lot about our culture and how much of a preoccupation we have with external appearance and fitting into a very specific set of expectations without much room for deviation. Seeing the far reaching downward spiral of this pushed mentality is eye-opening and disturbing because it reaches into our inmost being and attacks the very core of who God has called us to be. With images of naked beauties covering the pages of nearly every magazine on the shelves lining the checkout counter, or pictures condemning the hint of cellulite, wrinkles, or gray hair, it is nearly impossible to escape this endless barrage of lies that are constantly thrown our way.

One of the side effects for this type of unending imagery is our inability to know what true beauty looks like. We are always seeing the “fantasy” or the “lie” presented as truth, but instead of recognizing these things for what they are, we turn around and question the reality; “Should my body look this way?” “Should my hair be turning this color?” “Should my face be changing like this?” The distortion of our beliefs has led to unhealthy remedies to counter the lies, while nursing the pains caused so deep within. We turn to things of this world for healing, whether it is food, pornography, sexual encounters, fantasy, rigid control, etc, and all end with us continuing to walk the downward spiral of disintegration until we are left in a heap on the floor, feeling hopeless and damned. C.S. Lewis wrote it masterfully in “The Screwtape Letters” when he wrote:

“Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy’s (God’s) ground. I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take the pleasures which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He has forbidden. Hence we always try to work away from the natural condition of any pleasure to that in which it is least natural, least redolent of its Maker, and least pleasurable. An ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure is the formula. It is more certain; and it’s better style. To get the man’s soul and give him nothing in return- that is what really gladdens our Father’s (Satan’s) heart.” [Lewis, C.S., “The Screwtape Letters,” IX]

We are having our joy stolen from us because of a twisted and evil enemy that wishes for us to remain pitted in the depths of our despair. He does not want us to experience freedom. He does not want us to experience the feeling of being loved and valued. Satan wants us to believe the lies that he has warped into the mind of the media. And he wants us to stay there and never get up.

But, our God is a redeeming God. He will not leave us in the valleys, but always continues to push us forward to the relief of the mountaintops to see the beautiful view. He counters the lies of the enemy with Truth and the truth shall set you free! Our God shouts our value to Him from the Heavens, spreading His message throughout His Word; “All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you,” (Song of Solomon 4:7). He pours Himself into our hearts and into our lives that we “…being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (emph. mine),” (Ephesians 3:18-19). Only when we really cleave to this Truth, lining up all thoughts and actions to this core belief, will we be in a position to experience Godly victory over the Enemy’s ploys. We are to be “rooted and established in love,” not questioning and doubtful of God’s eternal love for us and extreme value for each of us. We are to “be filled” with this love and, therefore, experience “all the fullness of God!” When we are full of God, we cease the endless search for being defined by anything else. Our world wants to put a label on each of us, as fat, thin, pretty, ugly, smart, stupid, etc, all based on the values that have been set by an evil being of the underworld. In all truth, these do not hold up to the scrutiny of God, as He searches the heart to determine where we are with Him. Our true beauty comes from within, as the “unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight,” (1 Peter 3:4). The buck stops with God, and it is only in Him that we can get an accurate understanding of who we are, for what we were created, and what we are called to do. If the foundation of our being, our self-identity, is not founded and centered upon His Word, we are like the “foolish man who built his house on sand,” (Matthew 7:26). You are beautiful. You are wonderfully made. You are lovely and valuable. You are of great worth! You are deserving of love. You are a child of God, co-heir with Christ, and, therefore, considered royalty.

So, what does this mean for our lives? Well, if we are worth more than rubies, and loved beyond measure, than our treatment of ourselves, whether in thought or deed, must reflect that high position of value! We are not our own; we were bought at a price (1 Cor. 6: 19-20). We must treat our bodies as we would treat something on loan from a King, for that is exactly what we are. Would we feed royalty mediocre food, ill-prepared and malnutritious? Would we expect royalty to be sluggish and dilapidated in form, or strong and capable? Or would we feed someone of high esteem the very best, prepared with attention and knowledge of nutritious benefit, and praise the sight of them keeping healthy with physical activity to meet their demands? Not everyone needs to have a six-pack, but we should all seek to maintain healthy lifestyles, eating healthy foods, and getting daily activity into our days. We should not all look the same, but we should all feel lively, energetic, and full of vitality. God created food for energy, to fuel our bodies and make us capable to live to the fullest each day. He provided activities to strengthen our bodies, work out our minds, and challenge us to push ourselves to the next level, whether that be in lifting weights, gardening, skiing, dancing, etc. We are of great worth, and our lives should reflect this internal value system, created and placed there by God Himself; not one of pride or conceit, but humility, honor, and love of our Father. May your thoughts and actions be held to the standard of our Lord, carrying you through each day, and bringing you to fulfillment in Him.