Today, I saw an update by @ScottWilliams that read, "You are not defined by the opinions of them... you are defined by the opinion of HIM!"
I paused.
How many opinions am I believing? And whose are they? Do they matter?
For many of us, these opinions are from the past. Past relational and emotional wounds given to us by people close to us. Past lies that have constrained us. Past self-imposed limitations that have defined our freedom or lack thereof.
For those of us who trust in Jesus, we read Scriptures that seems so tantalizing, so fascinating, so out of reach at times that it almost seems like fairy tale or wishful thinking. Scriptures like the following:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, NIV)Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (1 Thessalonians 4:7, NIV)
Let me level with you: I don't see much freedom, newness, or holiness in many Christian's lives. And that bothers me... a lot. What drives this? Jesus lived a life in perfect harmony with the most loving, most merciful, most just Being in the universe, He died a horrific death, and rose victorious over sin and death only to have His followers be some of the most burdened, confused, and restricted humans?
"That's ridiculous!" I agree. It is. So then how come so many of us are riddled with guilt, passivity, intolerance, exclusiveness, misdirection, etc? How come we're finding our faith dwindling in numbers and influence while others are exploding?
Let me offer this as one potential answer: people don't reject Christ, they reject us because they don't want to be like us.
God's opinion of us as trusting followers of His Son is that we are now free, new, and holy. This is true. There is no, "Yeah, that would be nice." This is who we are! This is as true about us as our very names.
How often do we live like this? What's stopping us from living like it's true?
Maybe it's opinions. We are constrained by lies and wounds that bind us up inside with no resolution. It is as if we are still living in the Matrix and have not yet woken up to the reality of our own glory and beauty.
Glory? Who am I to be glorious? Who aren't you?! You are a son of God! You are a daughter of God!
I have found myself stuck between my glory and my shadow and maybe you have too. I knew all of this to be true and caught glimpses of this glory in my own life but couldn't seem to live from this life-altering reality with any consistency.If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (1 Peter 4:14, NIV)Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:17, NIV)
What gave me the freedom, newness, and holy living I craved was The BraveHeart Intensive. It is a journey for Christian men who are stuck in a place of knowing that they were created for more but rarely experiencing it. Or men who have been living from what they thought was their mission in life but now find themselves empty and going through the motions. Some men are just waking up and realizing the life that could be there's.
Women, you have an equally compelling invitation to live in freedom and grace. The Destiny Project is for you and will reshape your faith walk.
If you trust in Christ, if you follow Jesus, if you are reborn of spirit and water, then you are a holy, new, and free creation made fully human and crafted in the very image of God as a vessel and steward of His glory.
Whose opinion will you believe?
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composed by
dave
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