Scars

When researching and studying on a particular scripture lately I ran across this sermon and found it very encouraging and realistic. Enjoy the read :)

By Michael Deaton Van United Methodist Church August 2003

Summary: We hide our scars thinking they are unsightly. We need to share those scars as a witness to Christ Jesus.

Scripture: Galatians 6:14-6:17 John 20:24-20:29

Sermon: Scars Galatians 6:14-17

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator grabbed his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved. The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. While looking at his legs the report noticed that the boy had scars on his arms. The boy saw the reporter’s eyes and told him, “I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go."

As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world’s interest in me is also long dead. It doesn’t make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people. May God’s mercy and peace be upon all those who live by this principle. They are the new people of God. From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.

Paul had written this letter to a church he had founded. He was disturbed that there were those who were following him who were preaching a different gospel. A gospel that required them to give up their faith in Christ Jesus. A gospel that required them to be circumcised. A gospel that said that following the law was more important that following Jesus. Throughout the letter, Paul is tries to refocus this church on what is important in their lives – what is important in the life of the church of Jesus Christ. He has told them that it is not about them but about what Christ has done for them and he isn’t interested in hearing about all the things that they have done to make themselves more holy, more pious. He tells them, “May I never boast of anything save the cross of Jesus Christ. And then he tells them of his scars. For Paul his scars are a sign that he is a follower of Jesus. For him these scars are stigmata. They validate a missionaries life because unlike some missionaries, some followers of Christ Jesus, Paul never ran and hid but suffered beatings and stonings from those who wanted to suppress the message. And he bared the scars of those beatings.

You and I might be able to identify with Paul. Certainly, we might be able to identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or from stoning but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly. I joke that I won’t wear shorts in front of small children because the scars on my left leg will cause them to run off in fear. The scars on my chest have ended any possibility of a career as a swimsuit model. But I want to share with you that there are some wonderful things about scars.

Scars are a sign that we can heal
Wounds come from all sorts of incidents in our lives. Some are a result of a fall from a bicycle, a piece of broken glass, an automobile accident, or maybe from a surgeon’s scalpel. The resulting scars from those incidents prove that we can heal. It may have taken a Band-Aid. Maybe stitches were required. Maybe some healed in spite of our neglect. But the important thing is they healed. Our body has this wonderful way of trying to heal itself and in doing so we might not have a good looking scar but we are healed. They show that we have been put back together, made whole again. Scars are a sign that we have experience. Seldom will we see a new born child with scars. Their skin is exactly what the Americans spend millions of dollars each on trying to emulate. But in life, we will experience the nicks and scrapes of sharp objects, of hot stoves, of trees and coffee tables, and all sort of objects jumping in our way. They indicate for all to see that in spite of foolish mistakes we are still here and going on. They remind us in private moments that we need to be careful in the things that we do.

Scars are a witness
Some of us wear scars that bear witness to the great skills of certain surgeons. They bear witness to an indomitable body that will not let the nicks and bumps and scraps of life beat us down. Several years ago, while I was still a nurse and working in Home Health Care, I would go to the hospital the day before a new heart by-pass patient was to go home. The purpose of my visit was to introduce myself, to find out where they lived and if they would be staying there and to tell them a little of what was planned for them over the next two to three weeks. Now the women I would see, were always ready to get out of the hospital and to start rehab but the men . . . well, the men in almost every instance had excuses. They were never sure that they would be able to do the things that were necessary and certainly not tomorrow. Inevitably, they would tell me, “You just can’t imagine the pain I’m in. I would always smile, prop my leg up on the bed and raise my pants to show the scar on my leg. Immediately, they understood that I beared witness to the fact that I did understand the pain they were in. And just as immediately, I had credibility. Our scars can make us a witness just as they did Paul.

But what of the scars that can’t be seen?
I’m not sure that many of you have ever thought about the many different type of sutures that are used to sew us up after an accident. Most of us have been told that there are some that will dissolve after a while but it isn’t anything that we have really thought about but think about this for a moment. For every scar that shows on your body there are those scars that can never be seen. And not all of them came from some type of trauma. Not all the scars on the hearts of this world came from a surgeons. Some come from relationships that have gone bad and I think that we all have experienced that first broken heart. All of us know something of what is to be young and rejected by the person that we just knew had to be the love of our life. And it broke our hearts. But we survived. Some of the memories of experiences in our lives still haunt us. They scar our thinking but we survive. But we do more than survive – we bear witness. Our internal scars can be our witness for Christ to Others

Our first lesson this morning was the great story that so many of know about Thomas. Doubting Thomas he is so often called. He couldn’t believe until what? Until he saw the scars in Jesus’ hand. Until he felt the scar on Jesus side. Certainly, Jesus told him that there would be those who must believe without seeing and feeling the scars but friends, there are folks today who still want to see the scars. Can they see yours? Can they see the scars that are left from your life in sin? Scars that were healed by a loving and forgiving God. Can they see in scars of your rebirth as a believer? As a newborn believer you may not have had the skin of a baby but you were made whole again. Can they see the scars on your heart that Jesus healed? A heart harden by a life of rejecting Him.

But the real question is can they see the scars where Jesus wouldn’t let go? Some of our wounds, my friends, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of our struggles, God has been there holding on to us. Some of the time when we were running hardest away from God, His grip was growing ever tighter. And I’m so glad. I’m so glad that God wouldn’t let go of me and I’m glad he wouldn’t let go of you. I’m so glad that as the teeth of sin clinched ever tighter around me that God hung on. Hung on so tight that there are scars. Scars that I am proud of. Scars that show others, I have been where they are and God pulled me through. Scars that gave me the experience not to make the same mistakes over and over and over again. But most of all I am proud of scars that bear witness to the power of God’s love. Scars that I can share with those who still doubt, who still need to see and feel the scars to believe. Scars that testify that I have been crucified in Him and I no longer live but Christ lives in me.

Are you willing to share your scars with those who need to see them? And when you do, will you be like Paul and boast of nothing but the cross?

So, lately I have been listening to Joyce Meyer's "My Heart Christ's Home" CD series...WOW!! In the first CD she refers a lot to the stigma 'I want. I think. I feel.' and it has really been eye opening for me.
So many times I base my sentences off of one of those phrases. I want. I think. I feel. And usually those phrases are bases in ungodly ideas and sinful desires. She also talks about how your spirit is the Godly part of you that is eternal. Your soul is still your flesh. And your body houses it all. Obviously your soul and body will pass away at death and your spirit lives on in Heaven or Hell because it is the only part of you that God can sanctify and make holy. I guess I am coming more and more to the realization that so many times my soul and my body overtake my spirit and I make ungodly decisions based on those I want. I think. I feel. mentalities.
In the second CD Joyce talks a lot about people striving to be holy and Godly and that is good but not to get into legalism. She emphasizes on the fact that God knows us, cares about our feelings, hears our crys for help and is always there waiting for us to just simply surrender to His will. I love how she is hardcore on being all that God wants us to be and striving to live Godly lives but at the same time how much mercy and grace she shows and explains that God shows. She says that 'All guilt does is weaken you so you keep doing that thing again and again.' Powerful!! There are so many times that I say or do something and later reflect and realize that it was a terrible decision and ask God's forgiveness and I believe that at that moment that I repent that I receive His forgiveness. So many times however, I cling to the guilt and shame of my actions, not forgiving myself. I have to learn to just say 'Help me, God!!'
I want to become so in tune, in such a oneness with Christ that I can say that I only say what my Father would say and that I only do what my Father would do and I only go where my Father would go. I think that it is important to strive for the oneness, that holy temple for Christ to dwell in. And at the same time I also find it important that you see your fails, your stumbles and your shortcomings not just as a mess up and that you can't do better, but as a bridge being built to reach that place of oneness with your Heavenly Father! Like Pastor Keith has been preaching on lately, we need to fail forward. Let your failure propel you forward into what you want to become in Christ. We will forever be striving to be like Christ, we will never arrive because we live in a sinful world. We can always keep moving forward looking at our failures as stepping stones and learn from them, making us into the image of Christ.

Wow! Okay so it has been way too long since I last posted my emotions, my struggles and victories for the world to read (even though not may people read them) lol

What has happened: (in a nut shell of course)

Deliverance from a stronghold in my life

Beginnings of restored relationships

Deep encounters with an Almighty God

New relationships

Learning, the hard way, how to strive for a Godly relationship

EXPERIENCED AND ACQUIRED A PASSION FOR UGANDA!!!

Changed perspective on whats really important in life

And so much more...

That's almost a years time period simplified into 9 stanza lines...they say NOTHING compared to the actual experience and the overwhelming love, grace and mercy bestowed upon me by my loving Father!! I AM SO VERY BLESSED!! Like legit ;)

How easy it is for us to lose sight of the task at hand.

To lose focus of why we are really here on this earth.

To take our eyes off of Jesus just for a moment and start to sink in the water.

BUT GOD!! Praise God He NEVER lets go!

He never loses the faith! He never will let you drown!

Right here at Christmas time it seems to be especially easy to do this.

To take our focus off of what the season is really about.

To get caught up in all the business, present buying and food preparation.

To push Jesus to the back burner.

But let us not lose sight of Jesus and why we celebrate Christmas.

Not to forget how important the birth of our Saviour is!!

How much was sacrificed for Jesus to become human and come to us.

I pray Lord, less of my and more of You!

To keep my focus, my vision, my dream.

That when I do get of track I am quick to notice and repent.

That I let You love me for who I am, exactly where I am.

To continually strive to be like You.

And to not take anything for granted!

I wanted to add in this story. It's widespread so you may have read it

 before but it is a great visual example.

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays, like Christmas. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and the metaphysical meaning of Jesus The Christ, despite her husband's disparaging comments.

One snowy Christmas Eve, the wife was taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he refused.

"That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth through a man called Jesus who became the Christ? That's ridiculous!" So she and the children left, and he stayed home.

A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump.

Something had hit the window. Then another thump. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese.

Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.

The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and

wait out the storm.

So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.

The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on.

Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe.

"Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?" He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human.

"If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud.

Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese.

He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn and one by one the other geese followed it to safety.

He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!"

Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to lower Himself to be like us? That's ridiculous!"

Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and enlighten us.

That was the meaning of Christmas, he realized. As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and he pondered this wonderful thought.

Suddenly he understood what Christmas was all about, why Jesus who became the Christ had come, so that we could become the sons and daughters of the Living Christ.

Years of doubt and disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to

get me out of the storm!"



Pruning My Sin

Oh how it hurts. How grieved my heart is. Not only that I hurt my God but that I have hurt other people. Hurt my walk with Him and another's walk with Him. So much self hate and aggravation. Guilt, shame, and regret set it. The more I think, the more depression tries to engulf me.
So much will be so different. My flesh wants to run. Run away. Maybe not back to who I was but definitely run away.
I have to remain strong. Have to walk it out. Have to give it all to God and let Him restore to me His glory.

I can't take back what I have done. I can't change it. I won't ever be able to change your mind about me. But I do hope you know how sorry I am. How I will always be sorry I made you fall. 

How bad I feel that I have made people have a distorted image of who I really am.

Lord forgive me, heal me, deliver me, free me, lose my chains, 

heal my heart, cleanse my mind.

I LOVE YOU

Christmas Time

I am so very blessed and have so many people to be thankful for but for some reason there is still that place where you belonged, that especially at this time of year,

 hurts the most and feels the most empty.

Six Christmases with you and now your not there anymore.

Lord, please give me peace.

Prayers The Avail Much Prayers and Deliverance Prayers

http://www.prayers.org/search.asp

http://www.schizophrenia-info.info/deliverance_prayers.htm

Defeated?

Why do we as Christians (or many of us) live such defeated lives?

Do we choose to?

Or is it something else?

Maybe a combination of things?

But God did not call us to live defeated lives; but to be victorious and to have life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10)

Yes, Satan comes but to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) 

But do we sometimes enable him to and even help him out?

I believe that we do.

Eating Satan's lies.

Drinking from his corruption. 

Believing his false promises.

Getting so caught up in it all and our own minds.

And we fail.

We fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23).

So when does it stop?

When we truly repent?

When we submit to God?

When we decide that enough is enough?

When we rid our lives of ALL unrighteousness?

Or ever?

Is there really...

Hope for the hopeless?

Rest for the restless?

Faith for the faithless?

Love for the lost?

Wow...yea so I guess those are just a few things on my heart and mind lately.

I have felt lately, just like the last time I backslid, that there is no reason for me to ask for forgiveness again because I am scared that I will just continue to circle the same mountain. 


To repent means:
...to turn from your evil ways (2 Kings 17:13).
...to turn from all transgressions (Ezekiel 18:30). 
...to lose your life (Mark 8:35).


And so far I guess that I have not completely repented because I circle around and stare back into the same problems again and again.
So I wonder, is it even worth asking forgiveness and saying I repent?
I do believe it in my heart, I'm not just going through the motions, but I continue to repeat my foolish acts.


I have been a dirty, nasty dog. A foolish person. (Proverbs 26:11)


I started to think last night as the Lord was dealing with me at Celebrate Recovery, do addicts deal with these feelings? (And I would think some other Christians, maybe not addicts, do too but none have said so to me.) And if so, how do they/did they deal with it? In relapse did they feel as bad convicted as I do at times? And if so what made them continue to come back and eventually get though it and be completely SET FREE!!!?


I understand that a lot of my anguish is in my mind; making things worse than they are and feeding myself lies. I feel so selfish and silly when I see things others are going through and then look at what I am facing. 
But in saying that, it feels as bad as if I was an addict. 
Or if I just lost a loved one. 
Or if my marriage was falling apart. 
And so many other things. 
I physically ache.
I am emotionally alone.
I spiritually yearn for more.


Almost like I am still searching for something to fill that void.
But I thought I did that already by accepting Jesus?
No, I probably didn't because He has never been Lord of my life.


I am saved-I don't doubt that.
God has not left me-I know that.
So now it's my decision...
God has already done all He needs to do for me. 
I just have to accept it.