An Unconscious Compromise






That fine day witnessed a sudden unexpected turn of events. Although they were totally unaware of what they had become, He saw it before they could. 

The day I write about depicts Jesus going into the temple, and with all the passion inside Him, turning tables upside down, leaving those who saw what had happened in a pitiful predicament. When had the people taken such a wrong turn? How had they missed the mark?

Let's think carefully about this. I dare say that it was never an over-night thing for the temple to become a market place. Rather, think of it as an excruciatingly slow (gradual) process. The first person to sell something within the temple grounds must have secretly spoken to someone else, inviting him or her to buy a precious item. After fire and brimstone did not come down from heaven to devour the seller, this person would have continued to sell in secret, luring anyone who cared to listen...taking them away from the messages of the pulpit and enticing them with the distractions of material possessions. Slowly, it probably became a clique, a "we-sell-good-things" group. A "come-and-buy-from-us-and-God-will-bless-you" kind of group. An "I-don't-think-this-is-a-sin" clique.

An unconscious compromise. 

This might be a hard message, but it is a good one! It's a small message, but it resounds a priceless life-changing principle. This message is deeply embedded in the critical need for the constant presence of the Holy Spirit in our "daily" lives.

In our generation today, our ears are slowly becoming desensitized to the voice of the Holy Spirit. While preaching on Sunday, my pastor asked a question that made me laugh, "How ridiculous do you think the disciples felt when Jesus said, "it is to your advantage that I go away because if I don't the Helper will not come"? (paraphrased). They must have felt so let down. How could they have left everything they had to follow Jesus only to hear that "it was to their advantage" that He was leaving them? Say what? How does that even make any sense? How was that supposed to be an "advantage"?

If Jesus never left, the Holy Spirit would have never come. It was to our advantage that He left, so that the Holy Spirit can come and dwell inside our hearts. 

A desensitization to the voice of the Holy Spirit is never a one-day turn-around. It is a painful gradual process where we constantly choose the world over the Spirit of God. We tell ourselves, "it's okay to do this," and "it's okay to do that." Until one day, we don't know the truth anymore because our ears no longer listen.

This week, I am inspired to remind myself and anyone who will read this to reflect on any unconscious compromises made both in the past and now which, albeit unknowingly, has pushed us further away from being "intimate" with God.

Psalm 17:8 "Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of your wings."
Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

To dwell in that secret place requires us to "hear" from God. It requires a desire to always be led in the direction of the Holy Spirit. If that daily desire is not there, it will become a case of an unconscious compromise where one day we will wake up in the morning and ask ourselves, "Where am I? What have I done? I don't feel His presence in my life anymore."

The sweet warm embrace of the Father is where we belong. It's the best place to be. It's a place where we can easily hear the voice of the Holy Spirit teaching us right from wrong, and encouraging us to take the right steps. The Psalmist was very conscious of this when he cried out, "Hide me under the shadow of your wings." That's where I want to be...always and forever. Dear Holy Spirit, we invite You into every aspect of our lives today. Hide us under the shadow of your wings and cause our ears to be highly sensitized to hear Your voice daily, in Jesus' Name. Amen. I'd love to hear from you. Have you made a daily decision to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit? How do you do this? I pray that you will be inspired to do so and more, and that you will see the blessings that come from Him because of this. 

Why Foundations Matter



First, let me say "it's good to be back." I have had an amazing journey through the first half of the year, and in lots of ways it has prepared me for the second half. My son is 7 months and some weeks now. He's sort of stabilizing his own schedule and beginning to be an independent little feisty one. I've learned and am still learning lots of new stuff on time management and how to be highly effective every day. It had to be this year. I've been blessed with testimonies regarding that.

With all that said, today's chronicles and short reflection is really about why Foundations matter. As we go through life, there's no denying that as long as each day becomes new, challenges arise with it's arrival. How do we handle these challenges? Take a look at this verse:

Isaiah 40:30-31 NKJV
"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

The truth is that your foundation matters. It makes a difference whether you choose to build your life on a solid rock or on sinking sand. When challenges rise, your foundation speaks loudly. If the Lord is your foundation, your strength will always be renewed. Why? Don't you know that He is the most renowned Author? The Beginning and the End? The Yes & the Amen?

The Beginning & the End: He formed you in a secret place (Psalms 139). He knows you inside and out. He sees you when you wake up in the morning and when you go to bed at night. In fact, He wrote about your story before you were even born. Let's face it, we have a choice of what foundation we want to lean on. I can tell you right now that If I were given the choice to choose the One who wrote my story, I would choose Him a thousand times over.

Children are born desolate every day. Marriages fail. People lose vision. They don't die physically, but they die inside. Ties are broken. Bridges get burned down. People lose focus. All because they build their souls on foundations which are seemingly solid on the outside, but crumbling on the inside.

I know a foundation that will never crumble. His name is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Won't you choose Him today and forever? Come, let's build our house on a solid foundation. Let's choose the rock of ages today...and always. If you're in-between a rock and a hard place about choosing a strong foundation, I want to say a short prayer for you: "May your heart be open and sensitive enough to know that you are at the center of God's heart today, and before you were born, He already chose you." Amen. Till next time...