The Longing for Intimacy without Shame..Craig Denison Ministries

 The Longing for Intimacy without Shame

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

All of us have insatiable longings that can only be satisfied in communion with our heavenly Father. The longing to be enjoyed, fascinated, to gaze upon beauty, and to be someone great are driving forces within each of us. The longing to experience intimacy without shame, to be wholehearted, and to make a deep and lasting impact resound within each of us at the foundation of who we are. God created these longings knowing that they can only be fully satisfied in him—that they would be avenues to deeper relationship with him. As we look at each of these longings individually, I pray your heart would find its fulfillment in the loving nearness of your heavenly Father.

The titles and main concept for this week are all derived from The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle and Deborah Hiebert.

Scripture:“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” Ephesians 2:4-5

Devotional:

All of humanity is in a constant search for intimacy. We devote ourselves to earning the affections of others, whether it be a close friend or a stranger. We long to be loved for who we truly are, but we've also been burned by others in attempt to find acceptance. We give our hearts to the world and hope others will satisfy our craving for acceptance—for love. And we've been rejected by the very people and systems in which we sought satisfaction. Still we press on. We mold and reshape ourselves; we change our image or personality. We project who we think we should be instead of who we are. We project who we feel others want us to be—believing the lie that who we really are isn’t enough. And all the while, we long to be fully known and accepted. We long for intimacy without shame.

This depiction holds true for all of us, because all of us have been affected by Adam and Eve’s original sin. It was in perfection that they chose sin over unfettered, boundless relationship with the Father. And Scripture says in Genesis 3:8 that Adam and Eve “heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” After God calls out to Adam and Eve, Adam responds by saying, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10). Sin immediately and tragically brought shame, separation and destruction to perfect intimacy.

And so often we live our lives as if Scripture stopped with Genesis 3:10. We live our lives apart from the revelation of God’s unconditional love and affection for us. Genesis 3:21 tells us, “The Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” God created a covering for their shame. He met them in their weakness and provided for them. And just as God covered Adam and Eve with garments to cover their shame, he’s made a way for us today. In our weakness and shame God meets us and calls us lovely. He’s clothed us with the perfect, righteous nature of Christ. Our lives are perfectly hidden in his. In his grace he wraps his arms around us and tells us of his great love. He speaks truth where lies have resounded. He speaks life where there seemed to only be death. He brings light to the darkest, most desolate places of our hearts. Only his grace abounding could lead us back into the fold of his loving-kindness. Redemption and love fill the weak frame of man with the glory of God. We are dust transformed into the very likeness of the living God. Our destiny will always be intimacy without shame—to be fully loved and fully known by our perfect Father.

Take time in guided prayer to assess your own heart. In what ways are you still hiding from God as Adam and Eve did? In what ways have you veiled your heart as if God didn’t already rip the veil separating him from us in two? May your time in guided prayer be filled with new levels of intimacy as you allow God to fully know you and bring light to darkness.

Guided Prayer:

1. Take time to acknowledge any shameful places in your life you've hidden from God and others. In what ways are you veiling your heart? What do you long to keep in darkness?

2. Now meditate on God's love for you. God loves you completely, no matter what you've done. He longs to be with you no matter how ashamed you might feel.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” Ephesians 2:4-5

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39

3. Open your heart to God. Talk to him about any shameful places in your life. Receive a revelation of his unconditional love. Allow him to bring his healing light to your heart as you rest in his love.

Allowing ourselves to be fully known is always scary. We fear that if we are fully known and then rejected we’ll have nothing left to hold on to. But until we allow ourselves to be fully known it will be impossible to satisfy our longing to be fully loved. Opening your heart, your past, your weaknesses, and your failures to God is the only path to healing and freedom. Allowing God to reveal his unconditional love for you when you’ve opened up about your worst pain, thoughts, and sins will fill you with a love and security you never knew was possible. Open your heart to your loving heavenly Father today and experience the love that can only come with being fully known.

Extended Reading: Ephesians 2

Mess or Masterpiece..Ashley Moore

 Mess or Masterpiece 

By Ashley Moore

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” - Ephesians 2:10, NLT

I read recently, "a piece of art doesn't have to be perfect or finished to be a masterpiece." The author further observed that what makes art valuable is the story behind the piece. While the book was secular, there are some spiritual truths to these words.

First, whether we acknowledge the message of the Bible or not, God has set eternity in the hearts of man and written His Word on our hearts and in our minds (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Hebrews 10:16). Secondly, because we are made in His image, everything we create tells a story of God to those around us (Genesis 1:27). Our lives tell a story whether we have surrendered to Christ or rejected God.

What kind of story is your life telling? Does it point to the gospel message? The Bible calls those of us in Christ Jesus, His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). A masterpiece is an artist’s creation displaying his or her mastery and skill level to onlookers. A masterpiece is an outstanding creation that proves an artist’s abilities and qualifications. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually feel like a work of art. I relate more to a messy finger painting made by a toddler than an artistic masterpiece. But then, I recall the author’s comments from the book laced with art jargon, and I remember, we don’t have to be perfect or finished to be an artist’s masterpiece. So, here are two ways we display His workmanship to the world around us, even if our lives aren’t perfectly packaged with neat little bows.

Our Stories of Redemption

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” - 2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT

A transformation from death to life is an abrupt change. Whether you grew up in the church your whole life and finally repented from knowing about God to knowing God, or you left a prodigal lifestyle to follow Jesus, your life tells a story to the world around you. 

For me, this looked like leaving a life of numbing my pain with alcohol and relationships to looking to God’s Word for healing and placing Him at the center of my relationships. While my outward actions took a while to change, the drastic shift in my desire to satisfy worldly cravings changing to wanting to please God was enough to tell a story. What about you? What has God redeemed you from? 

Our Impact on Others

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5, ESV

Even if no one ever acknowledges the changes in you, those closest to us will be impacted by our transformation. As humans, we were created with mirror neurons that cause us to mimic the people around us. The longer a person is around us, the more we pick up their mannerisms and little sayings. And vice versa. As we flow with living water, the people around us will begin to flourish.

And while you won’t be perfect or quite finished yet, you will be His masterpiece because just like a marvelous painting tells the story of its artist, your life transformation will point to the One who knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). Our lives tell a story, may the redeemed say so (Psalm 107:2). 

People are God’s work of art. Our lives either tell the story of what happens when we disregard His call to truth, or they tell the story of His redemption and its power to transform us. I love that no matter the current stage of becoming we are in, we display the workmanship, the qualifications, and the worthiness of our worship of our creator God. Just like a painting at every stage, the beautiful brush strokes tell a story of the artist holding the brush. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
Do you struggle to believe God calls you His masterpiece because you don’t have your life “all together”? If so, take a dry-erase marker and write Psalm 139:13 or Ephesians 2:10 on your mirror or kitchen window. Meditate on God’s Word and pray that God would help you believe His Word over how you feel. 

Further Reading:

• Psalm 139

A Prayer for Purposed Passion..Emily Rose Massey

 A Prayer for Purposed Passion

By Emily Rose Massey

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14, ESV).

What excites you and drives your passion? Being made in the image of God means that we all have passion. The important question we must ask ourselves is: is my passion directed inward or does it fuel me to pursue Christ and His purposes? Our drive and passion for the Lord and His Kingdom are related to our devotion to Him and reveal our purpose of knowing Christ and serving Christ. Most of all, reading and studying the scriptures should fuel our passion because it sets our eyes upon the Lord and helps us take our eyes off of ourselves.

What motivates your drive toward Christ? For the Apostle Paul, it was the prize of the upward call of God:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14, ESV).

We can remind our hearts that if we are born again, Christ purchased our life for a purpose and has made us His own. He did this so that we would bear fruit for His glory. Christ reached down and rescued me, so I should always be reaching for Christ. We press on to make knowing Christ relationally and serving Him faithfully, and we must press on even more when we feel weak. We can look to Christ and ask for strength to keep going, and He will be faithful to give us His abundant grace. We shouldn’t be entangled by our past sins, sorrows, or even successes, as those things will distract us and hold us back from pressing on in our race to pursue Christ and His purpose. 

May the Lord give us zeal and an increased pace, and an increased engagement in Kingdom pursuits as we press toward the prize. Ultimately, Christlikeness is our prize. Let us seek the Lord and ask Him to increase our passion to become more like Him!

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord, 
I am reaching to the upward call, longing to become more Christ-like in my pursuits and in the fruit of my life. Help me to see what may be hindering me from being conformed to the image of You. I do not want to resist the call of taking up my cross and following You. My flesh is weak, but I know that I can find strength and grace in You to keep pressing forward, straining for the prize. Will you please ignite a zeal in my soul for You and Your Kingdom? In my striving and running, I trust that You choose my pace as I move forward, linking arms with other believers. You empower me with Your Spirit, and I know You are faithful to complete the work You have started in me. In Your name, I pray, amen. 

 

3 Lessons We Learn Following God..Jennifer Heeren

 3 Lessons We Learn Following God

By: Jennifer Heeren

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).

God didn’t give Abram (later to be called Abraham) a detailed map or even show him the exact final destination. He basically said, “Abram, leave your comfort zone and go where I will show you.” However, God also added that he would bless Abram and his descendants if Abram obeyed him. Abram didn’t know where he would end up, but he knew and trusted God’s character, so he obeyed anyway. Abram’s obedience happened one step at a time. With each step, Abram heard a little more from God.

I feel that this is what God requires of me as well. In November, I lost my job. I don’t know exactly where God is taking me next but I am trusting that it will be a good place—a place of blessing. Each day since, I have been doing what I know to do within each day. I’ve been looking, applying, and networking. I’ve also been taking advantage of the time and learning some new skills. All the while remembering that God is a good God who loves to give good gifts to his children. Each day I feel like I’m a little closer to knowing where he is taking me next and this brings me peace even in the not knowing.

Like Abram, I am learning lessons as I walk through my journey. Three lessons that God is teaching me are:

1. Step Out of My Comfort Zone

God wants me to continually step out of my comfort zone and trust him with the unknowns. I have to leave room for God to guide me. If God were to come show me step-by-step his exact will for my life, it wouldn’t require faith for me to follow him. Moreover, if I know exactly where I’m going beforehand, the idea probably isn’t from God. It probably came out of my own head and ideals. God likes me to follow him in faith and trust—not in knowing. This frees me from getting stuck in my own ideas, which often can take me away from God’s will, because let’s face it, my own ideas can be very flawed as well as limited. God sees everything—past, present and future. He is not limited.

2. Take One Step at a Time

There’s also another reason God doesn’t want me to know too much too soon. If I know too quickly, I might get overwhelmed and give up because it seems too hard. I might know where I’ll end up but I won’t necessarily know how. And, this not knowing how would cause me to have all kinds of anxious and worried thoughts. Nobody can do their best work under stress. God doesn’t ask me to take a step that is five miles up the road. Each step of this step-by-step approach is made under the daylight of the present moment. Everyone can take one step at a time.

3. Action Lessens Worry

I tend to overanalyze everything and overanalyzing causes me to worry and even become paralyzed. Taking action erases a lot of these worries because the act of doing something takes on a life of its own. I concentrate on the task at hand, not the results that will come later. Worry about future results usually happens before I ever take an action to complete something. Taking actions regularly is a way of living in the moment and often deletes some of the fears of the future and regrets of the past.

God is with You as You Go

Abram was able to trust God in the not knowing because he believed that God was with him. I also have this assurance because Jesus said, “…be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

New Beginnings..Pam Jenkins

 New Beginnings

Pam Jenkins

"Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel."
Joshua 1:2

Joshua was a faithful servant to Moses and God for years. Moses had died and Joshua watched as all his contemporaries, except for Caleb, die in the wilderness over a period of forty years. It was a new generation and there was a changing of the guard! Joshua was to take up the mantle of Moses and move God’s people forward into the promised land. The old was fading in the distance and there before him was the door to the future. No doubt fear was present, and questions arose by doubters as to his ability to fill the shoes of Moses. After all, Moses had been used by God to do incredible things; things never seen before such as the plagues of deliverance from bondage, the parting of the Red Sea, healing from the deadly snake bites, manna from the sky, water from a rock, taking a tree and making the bitter waters sweet, constructing the tabernacle, the tent of meeting where God would speak to him face to face, the battles fought and the giving of the Ten Commandments.

Who could fill such shoes? What lay in store for him by following God? What new battles lay ahead? Moses had buried his wife during his leadership; along with countless others and he lost the privilege of taking the people into the promised land after wandering with them for forty years. If Moses had paid such a great price just to lead them to the desert, what cost would Joshua pay in the future leading them into battle for the land that God had promised?

As the old comes to a close and the new begins to emerge upon us, waves of doubts filled with fear can overwhelm the heart as it contemplates the unknown of what lies ahead. We look back, often with regret, from the days that have now slipped by at the blink of an eye and pray that the next year will be a better one. We often restrict our decisions based upon our limitations rather than on God’s limitless power. I’m sure Joshua’s first thought could have been; "Where do I begin?" But God made it very simple for Joshua, as He does for us. He told him two things to do, yes only two: arise and cross. Joshua could not remain where he was and fulfill the purpose God had for his life. He could not wallow in self-pity, grief or fear, recite a list of excuses, or wait for a more opportune time to emerge. He had to choose to get up, to stir his heart, to act upon the commands of the Lord going forth to obey all that He had told him to do. Refusing to arise and move forward will defeat the child of God who desires to answer the call of God upon their lives. Courage is not the friend of hesitation.

The second thing Joshua had to do was to cross the Jordan River. This river was the only thing standing between God’s people and the land of Canaan. Stepping out into the waters of faith allowed Joshua and the people of Israel to cross over into their calling of God. He could not allow the Jordan to keep him from obeying God, no matter how impossible it seemed to overcome. He had to leave the "how to" to God.

When they stepped out into that water, God dried it up before them. After all, He parted an entire sea for them; surely He could part a river. God takes our Jordan’s and dries them up before us when we move forward in faith with Him. It was the first step of obedience that cleared a path to walk across. If we cannot face the waters of difficulties in the land of comfort, how will we ever face the enemies in the land of war? God will always meet you at your place of obedience.

There are new battles ahead of us, new enemies to face, fears to conquer, new land to tread upon, and walls to bring down. With this New Year before us, beloved, let us say with the apostle Paul, "…One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead" (Philippians 3:13). Arise, beloved one of God, step out into the waters of faith and behold the power of God to bring you into the land!

Take me to the regions beyond the Jordan.