STRENGTH IN THE LONELY HOUR
“…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20b

I have learned a few things about myself over the past few years since the divorce. I could write out an exhaustive list and bore you in detail with all my lessons learned over the past three years, but instead I will share just one lesson with you today. One thing you should understand about me, however, is that even though I enjoy my time alone, I am not a fan of being alone. That sounds ironic I know, but in these moments where it is me by myself I find myself doing the same things. I will read, or journal, or watch TV, and go take a walk. It seems like I have been doing the same things day in and day out for the past three plus years. But here is the lesson, no matter how alone I feel, God continues to make it clear to me that He is right there next to me. At first I wasn’t allowing myself to understand it because so deeply I desire a physical person to connect with. Now, a few years later, and a few hard knocks taken, I am coming to realize that although a relationship with a person would be great, a deeper walk with God far surpasses anything else.
As I just shared, one of the things I find myself doing a great deal of these days is reading. Today’s devotional stems from thoughts of an article on courage I recently read by Charles Stanley. While I am not going to reiterate his message, I would like to share what God showed me. My eyes were drawn to the passage of Matthew 28:20 as I was reading. Many of us know this verse in relation to the Great Commission, where starting in verse 19 Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations and baptize them as well as teach them the Lord’s commands. Then He says, “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” But for today I want to focus on just this last sentence recorded in Matthew.
Does it take courage to overcome the feelings of loneliness? Webster defines courage as a mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Under that definition of courage, I would say yes, it does take courage to overcome the feelings of loneliness. So then I question of myself, how many times have I attempted to find someone to fill this lonely spot simply because I was weak as opposed to it being God’s will? Yet it takes me having to hit the wall, be turned down, or even flat out rejected for me to understand that what I really need is Him. Perhaps this is the reason why this final sentence in Matthew speaks to me so loud today. Could it be that God is re-iterating to me His stance in my pain? “I am with you always.”
In my lonely moments, my tougher hours, I know God is there, but I am beginning to know God is there. I am beginning to see that He is giving me the strength to preserver and withstand all that comes my way. I am beginning to realize that not only should God be my all, but that I want Him to be my all. And perhaps the greatest lesson God is showing me in these lonely hours is that I cannot become the husband I want to be until I first become the man I need to be. These are lessons that come in being alone, that come in waiting on Him, and that come when I realize that He really is with me always, to the very end of the age. As I continue to learn I know He will continue to be there.

THAT SICK FEELING
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”
I Corinthians 3:16

I have been thinking recently. Well if truth be told I think often, but this time was more pointed. I have been thinking about the foods that I put in my body. I do not claim to be a dietician or health guru because I have plenty of changes I need to make in my own body. But as I have been making myself more aware of the dangers of certain foods I have come to notice a few ironic elements concerning the foods many of us eat. For instance, why is it that we consume diet drinks to lose weight knowing that it has aspartame in it. Aspartame has been said to play a factor in numerous health risks such as headaches, seizures, anxiety, and birth defects to name a few. If these dangers are true, then it seems ironic that we would risk possible seizures only to prevent our body of a few pounds. Or how about the ironic details concerning trans fat. A bag of chips can state clearly that they contain zero grams of trans fat. Yet a simple review of the ingredients will record the use of partially hydrogenated oil, which is trans fat, just a small enough portion that legally an item can still be marked as zero.
Let us go one step further, though. Not only are we ironic in our food and drink, but I think we are also ironic in other areas. I know for me that I hate to get sick. I detest a stuffy nose. When I even sense a cold coming on I jump right in my medicine cabinet for proactive relief. My actions match an idea quoted by Pastor Mark Buchanan. “Physical sickness we usually defy. Soul sickness we often resign ourselves to.” Wait, did I just read that right? Yes I do defy being physically sick, but Buchanan states also that we are more apt to embrace a spiritual sickness? Can this really be true? Upon reading this quote I first looked up the word ‘resign’. The definition of resign is to prepare to accept something unpleasant. Is it true that I will fight against the flu, or even my fat cells, with more vigor and urgency than I will fight against the enemy attacking my soul?
In I Corinthians 3:16, Paul writes, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” With Pentecost soon approaching, I want to take the time to talk about God’s Spirit at a later yet soon date. So then, let us focus on the first part today, the part that reminds us we are God’s temple. The first question we should ponder is if we even believe this. When you look in the mirror do you see yourself as His temple? I have heard it said that the longest distance in the world is the distance between the head to the heart. I think it is true. I know because God’s Word tells me so that I am His temple. But do I believe it in my heart? I’ll answer honestly…not always. There are many times when I look at myself and see nothing that is worthy of resembling His temple. There is so much junk in me still that I need God to clean out that I am embarrassed to call myself His temple. That then leads to the second question. What do we do about it?
When I want to lose weight I begin to count calories. When I want to overcome a sickness I take medicine. But what do I do when I want to become God’s temple, as I should be? I think the first step should be that I cease resigning; stop preparing for the unpleasant. I hate to sound like a broken record, but oh well. The same vigor that we attack fat cells and sickness with should be the same vigor that we defend our body and spirit with against the devil. This is the war we are in, and unfortunately, this is the war that too many are losing. Will you be one who continues to lose, or will you be one who attacks with vigor that sick feeling of sin that is coming against you?

PERMISSION TO ATTACK
“The LORD said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.’ Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.”
Job 1:12

During the Hague Convention of 1907, the Opening of Hostilities was defined in regards to war. The protocol for a declaration of war defined the formal act as an act of speech or written document authorized by a party of a national government. In other words, even if I am fully against the actions of another country, I am unable to declare war on that country since I am not the government official of the country I live in. This action is one of the responsibilities of the president, prime minister, king, whatever the official title may be, of that country. But this same principle works in the spiritual as well. We see it in the story of Job. The devil was unable to do anything bad to Job without the LORD first approving it and setting into motion the declaration of war. Allow me to explain.
In Job 1, the LORD asks Satan from where he had come from. Satan’s response was from roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it (Job 1:7). It was at that point that the LORD questioned if the devil had considered His servant, Job. The LORD knew the character of Job, that he was blameless and upright, fearing God and forsaking evil. But the devil had a suspicion that this character of Job was only a result of what God gave him and questioned, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9). This was the point in which the LORD then gave Satan the permission to attack Job, declaring a war on him. The only exception was that he could not lay and finger on Job. He could attack him in taking everything from him, but he could not touch him. “The LORD said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.’ Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD” (Job 1:12).
This same principle is true for us, even if we choose not to see it that way. What allows the devil access to our lives? Now granted, we know his characteristics and plans, that he wishes only to steal, kill, and destroy us, to keep us pinned down and unable to get ahead in life. But what gives him the access from wanting to do these things to us and puts it into the action of truly doing these things to us? The answer is sin. Sin opens the door to the evil that comes to us. When we sin we fall out from under the protection of Christ, therefore opening the door that allows the enemy to overtake us. And just as the devil was unable to lay a finger on Job, so he is also prevented to lay a finger on us. However, he can still throw more temptations on us, sickness, accidents, and a host of other items from his bag of junk. It is not until we come back under the protection of God by closing that door to sin that he is cut off from further attacking us.
Oh, but wait, there is more. When I was explaining this principle to my son the question then came up about sowing and reaping. This too is a valid principle and also plays a factor here. Although we ask God for forgiveness, we still have to pay the price for what we did outside of God’s protection. An example is in pregnancy. The woman who decides to engage in sex outside of marriage comes out from under God’s covering. If she gets pregnant in that moment, the pregnancy doesn’t go away when she asks Jesus to forgive her. What she sowed still has to be reaped. And as is true for us, we still will have to embrace the reaping for the seeds sown.
I write this today not as a judgmental devotion, for trust me I have no room in which to speak, but I write it as a devotion of warning. Before you engage in that moment of sin, keep in mind that you are coming out from under the protection of God. Once this happens, war is declared. I want us all, myself included, to realize this truth before we walk into an additional battlefield. The devil will try to get you away from God therefore we must resist the devil (Jms 4:7). But additionally, we should keep those doors closed so that a full out war is not allowed.

DIGGING UP THE TREASURE
“’The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.’”
Matthew 13:44

I was going through my things this past weekend, looking for anything of value to keep verses anything that was no longer needed and could be discarded. As my search moved from the drawers of my dresser to the drawers in the bathroom, I found my old high school ring. It was still shiny, etched with the year 1993, and with the stone still in place. When my daughter saw it she asked if it was my wedding ring. I gave a slight laugh and told her no. But the search for the wedding ring was now on since she wanted to see it. While I have no reason to wear it now days, I still find myself keeping it. After about another ten minutes of searching I found it and showed her the simple band I had once worn. To her it was treasure and she immediately asked if she could have it.
Those who know me know that I am not one who is really into ‘things’. Flat screen TVs, fancy cars, big houses, even high priced food such as caviar hold no interest to me. My clothing seems to come from discount stores and goodwill racks, my car is a 1991 Honda Accord, and my TV is one of those old ones that still plays VHS tapes. Yet I am content. I am content because the treasure I have found was not located on a store shelf and bought on credit. In fact, not once have I ever had buyer’s remorse for the treasure I’m speaking of. What is this treasure? It is a relationship with God. I have heard it said, and will agree, that even a bad day with God is still an awesome day compared to a day with no God.
Perhaps I sound jumbled this morning in what I am trying to say, so I’ll just get to the point. Matthew 13:44 tells us the quick parable of a man who found a treasure. We don’t know from this verse if he was looking for treasure or just stumbled upon it, but either way, when he found it he was overjoyed. He hid the treasure, stuffing it back into wherever it was, and then went home and sold everything he had so as to buy this place where the treasure was. I can see him now, sitting there signing title papers with the biggest grin on his face, eager to get back to this spot and call it his because he knew the true treasure that lay there. He was probably anxiously clicking his pen or tapping his foot while each paper was explained and signed. But in the end, even though it cost him everything he had, it became his. Let us not miss that comment…it cost him everything he had. The treasure that was there far outweighed what he was leaving behind, but he still had to come to grips with the fact that this purchase would cost him everything.
I point the word ‘everything’ out because too many of us are still trying to have the best of both worlds. We are looking to have the familiar pieces of a ‘home’ we know while still enjoying the treasure from our new place. But even in reality, when you sell a home and move, you no longer have access to your old house. No, they take your keys when you sign the papers. Yet how many of us are still trying to the live in the house of sin we left behind while also living in the new house of God? This man had it right having sold everything to move into his new place where treasure was bountiful. This treasure is God. I don’t need high priced clothes and gadgets and all that jazz, I just need God. I am rich in having God alone, regardless of what my wallet shows. He is my treasure, and the legacy I want to leave for my children. Yes, I do want to pass some other things down to them, but I want them to see me as the man who sold it all knowing that the treasure I received in the transaction was the best thing that could ever happen.
So then, here’s the challenge. When my daughter saw my old wedding ring, she wanted it. Do we want God the same way? You may look at this man’s quickness to buy as a crazy radical Christian, but this should be our attitude. In my effort still to reflect God, I ask myself, “Have I sold everything I have in order to buy this land where the treasure is hidden?” To this question I can answer yes…I think. But remember, the key word is ‘everything’. Am I still trying to live with a foot in the old house as well as a foot in the new? If I am, then I truly have not found the worth of this treasure I dug up. I cannot live on the fence just as I cannot live in two houses at one time. A choice must be made, and it must be made by each one of us individually. Just as I will be accountable for my choice, so you will for yours. Will you sell ‘everything’ in order to buy the land where the treasure is hidden?

UNFIT SALT
“’You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.’”
Matthew 5:13

As a guy who loves to cook and has thought many times about going to culinary school, I have seen salt used in a variety of different ways. Sometimes it is used to preserve a product from going bad. This method was used daily in early years before the refrigerator was birthed, but is seen often still in canned food. For instance, a can of corn can have as much as 200mg of salt whereas a bag of frozen corn may have none. The reason the can has so much is because it works to preserve the product. But salt is also obviously used as a flavor enhancer. Just recently I made some homemade split pea soup at the request of my son and when I took a bite my first thought was that it was a little bland. By adding just a shake or two of salt the soup took on a whole new flavor.
While the purpose of today’s devotional is not to give you a simple book report on salt, it is to challenge you in reference to salt…or more so to challenge you to be like salt. Before we go farther though, I want to bring your attention to both Matthew 5:13 and Titus 1:15-16. The verse in Matthew records Jesus saying, “’You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.’” Compare the relationship of this verse with the one in Titus which reads, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good.”
The theme between these two verses seems to be the unfitness of the one whose actions do not reflect God. In Matthew we see that we are salt. However, flavorless salt does nothing. If salt is meant to be an enhancement of flavor, that little spice that adds to the food and preserves the meat, then what happens when the salt loses the ability it was intended for? When the salt has lost its flavor is can do nothing but get in the way. And in a way, Paul is saying the exact same thing here in Titus. People claim to know God, and claim to be pure. But corruptions sneak in. If these corruptions remove the flavor of salt, which is supposed to be us, then what? Then nothing is pure; nothing taste right. They claim to know God, just as flavorless salt claims to be salt, but their actions, their flavor, deny Him.
Paul says that these flavorless people are then detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing and good. Go back to Matthew and answer what happens to unfit salt? It gets thrown out and trampled on. Now wait, that reminds me of another verse. How about the message to the church in Laodicea? Because they were lukewarm they were spit out (Rev 3:16). Flavorless salt, followers whose hearts are far from God, and lukewarm Christians are all of no value and get tossed or spewed out. That begs the question, is this a picture of me? In my desire to reflect God in my life, I feel that I also have to question if I am salty enough. I do not want to be that salt that has lost its flavor and is now only good enough to be thrown out. And I do not want to see you in that position as well. So the challenge I offer both you and myself is to take a taste test. I do not mean that you need to lick your skin and see if it is salty, but I do mean that we need to look deep at ourselves. Are we God-flavor enhanced salt, or are we flavorless?

NO “I” IN TEAM
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
John 15:4

When I was in high school, back many moons ago, I remember walking through the gym one afternoon during a girl’s volleyball practice. I can’t remember exactly why I chose to pass through the gym as opposed to going around it, but I do remember seeing something that has never left me. The shirts that the team was wearing during practice read, “There is no ‘I’ in TEAM.” I read that casually while walking by, intent on getting to my destination. Yet the more I re-read that phrase over and over in my head, the more it made sense. And the phrase still plays in my head many moons later. In fact, it plays more often these days than it ever has before as God continues to show me that He and I make a team. I am nothing without Him; not even a team.
When I think of the word “TEAM”, I think of a unit of individuals working in unison for a common goal. Take football for example. The quarterback, despite his ego, cannot perform every action. A play would last not even a second if the quarterback had to hike to himself, block for himself, throw to himself, catch for himself, and finally score for himself. Because of this he has a team of others who all work these functions along with him. I think of Nascar the same way. Can you image how the race would turn out if the driver had to get out of the car each time he needed gas or tires. A pit stop that can last between twelve to twenty seconds during any given race would turn out to last ten minutes plus if the driver had to perform every action. Yet why is it that we have this notion that we are able to perform each Christian task void of a teammate in God?
In John 15:1, Jesus refers to Himself as the true vine and His Father as the gardener who prunes the branches that do not bear fruit. In verse 3 He tells the disciples, and in essence us also, that they are already clean because of the word He has spoken. But John 15:4 is where I want us to look a little deeper for the next minute or so. Jesus states, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” These words reflect again that we are powerless on our own. No matter how good I think I am, I am not. Outside of a connection with Him I am no better than the quarterback with the ego issues thinking I am the team’s secret weapon. While granted I may have some talents, my talent will only excel when used along with the talents of others on my team.
An example I can give from my own life comes from the missions trips I went on while in college. Many came to Christ, but it wasn’t me that brought others to a relationship with Him. No, it was our team who worked in the direction God was leading us that opened the door for God to work on the hearts of the people and draw others close to Him. I was a team member with others and God. Truthfully, I still find myself wanting to take credit in life for anything good that happens. But the reality is that I have nothing good and lasting to offer anyone. It is God in me, whom I have decided to team up with, that allows me to excel. But read that last sentence again. It is God in me, whom I have decided to team up with. God doesn’t team up with me. I must team up with Him. His team is undefeated. But if I go it alone I will surly know defeat. The key is to put myself out of a couching position, as well as out of an ego driven quarter back position, and grab one of His jerseys, therefore placing myself on His team. My team was called “Me, Myself, and I”. His team is called “Nothing Apart From God”. There is no “I” in His TEAM.

IS GOD NOT BIGGER?
“…apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5b

I have a question to ask you today. Have you ever come to that point where you realize that your best efforts in a situation are still nothing? I was at a guest speaker service last night, and while the worship was going on, God began to interact with me. He began to ask me what I am holding on to. In other words, be was questioning if I thought I could handle certain situations better than Him. Of course my off the cuff answer was no. I have learned through humility that anytime I exalt myself above God and think for even a second that I am better than Him, He finds a way to crush my pride. But then He pointed out to me that although I know the answer, it is still something that I struggle with. There are times when I think that I can do it better, or make it happen faster, or even conquer the enemy on my own. He must have known what my answer was going to be, because He had His answer prepared.
God showed me two instances in the Bible following this that made His point clear. The first is found in Numbers 13. Here we read of the story of the twelve spies being sent out and their report once they returned. Panic was spreading through the camp because ten of the twelve reported that in the eyes of those living in the ‘Promised Land’, we looked like grasshoppers (Num 13:33). How about those words of encouragement, huh? But the other two, Joshua and Caleb, were telling the people, “We can take ‘em!” (Num 13:30). What made these two so sure that a rag-tag bunch of ex-slaves could defeat an army in a land where giants roamed? One thing…God. Joshua and Caleb knew that God was bigger.
Skip ahead a few books in the Old Testament and we land in I Samuel 17. You know this story, David and Goliath. The army of God was being taunted day after day by this giant of a man who spewed out profanity against God with a vengeance. Daily he defiled the God of Israel. But because of his size, no one wanted to attempt to take him on. King Saul even tried to sweeten the prize by offering his own daughter and a promise that the brave soldier would not have to pay taxes, and still there were no takers. Yet on a mission from his father, or should I say Father, David pulled up with supplies and witnessed the arrogance of this giant. Compelled by God and covered in His armor, David went out and met the giant. With one stone, guided by the hand of God Himself, the rock hit and dug deep into the giant and knocked him down. David also knew that God was bigger.
So it comes back to us now. Can I defeat the enemy without God? No! John 15:5 says I can do nothing without Him. I looked up the word ‘nothing’ in Greek and it is OUDEIS. ‘Nothing’ means NOTHING! I cannot do a single tinker’s darn thing without God. I am powerless to even breathe without God. He is my air. He is my heartbeat. He is my substance. He must become everything. He is big and able, not when I but because I am small and weak.
Is God not bigger? He sure is. Only He can make a way. Only with Him can we, also a band of ex-slaves to sin, defeat an army in whose eyes we look to be nothing more than grasshoppers. Only with Him can we stand before the enemy and trust that God will direct the stone that we have slung. We are powerless on our own, but rightly so. Remember, it is not about us, but rather who we are here to reflect and bring glory to.

DENIED
“Then He said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”
Luke 9:23-24

Rejection is never a fun thing. I think we all can attest to that. I have become careful in speaking about my ex-wife in these devotionals, but I think it is important to state that she was just one of many people that rejected me in my 36 years of life. However, because she was the closest person to me, I also think her rejection stung the most. Countless times while we were married, I was denied in return for the good deeds I did do. Granted I was no saint, as I have shared before, but I wasn’t always the bad guy either. After awhile, as I’m sure even you can relate to, one begins to wonder what their worth really is. I think it was because of the years of hardship in marriage, as well as events before then, that I found myself eager to date once the divorce was final. Thankfully, three years later, God has stayed with me and reminded me of some key lessons.
One such lesson I want to share with you today revolves around the word ‘deny’. If I can blunt with you, my reader, I think we have it wrong. I think we all feel, whether voiced or not, that the world revolves us. My world revolves around me and you are just a pawn on my chessboard. But then to you, I am confident that I am the pawn and you are the royal piece. How messed up are we when this is our thinking? Have we never read Luke 9:23-24? “Then He said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Well how does that fit in to my being the best thing since sliced bread? Here I am being told that to be great I have give myself up, and then my greatness is based on Him and nothing that I have done.
But of course I can’t just leave it there; I have to break down a few of these words to really understand what the Lord is saying. What exactly is this passage saying about denying and taking up? To ‘deny’ is the word APARNEOMAI, which means to reaffirm that one has no acquaintance or connection with. So in order to come after the Lord, I must forbid myself any acquaintance or connection with myself. Wow, that in itself is a big task. Then I have to take up my ‘cross’, my STAUROS, my stake. Now with myself denied and my cross taken, the next task it to ‘follow’ Him. The word follow is AKOLOUTHEO, which is defined as joining alongside as a disciple of. This may be the easiest part of the whole verse so far. I want to follow alongside Him, but the denial of me is where I struggle.
But wait, there’s more. Whoever wants to ‘save’ his life will ‘lose’ it. If I want my life rescued from danger, SOZO, then I need to abolish it, APOLLUMI. So really, verse 24 is saying, “For whoever wants to rescue his life from danger will abolish it, but whoever abolishes his life for the Lord will rescue it from danger.” Does that make sense? It does to the one who is passionate for more, to the one who desires a life that drips of the Lord. And that is me.
I’ll be honest, although I have been dunce in the past, I am now coming to a point where I realize that it is not all about me. Profound, I know. But true. My mission in life is to serve Him, yet how can I serve Him if I am still living for myself? It is not possible. Perhaps the best way to think about this passage can be summed up in a clip I heard by Lisa Chan, the wife of Pastor Francis Chan in Simi Valley, California. She said, “God’s doesn’t want to take from you, He wants to give to you.” There is only one way this can truly happen. We must allow ourselves to be rejected and denied…by ourselves.

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
II Corinthians 3:18

Do you remember the story of Snow White? Specifically, do you remember that part of the story where the evil queen asks her possessed magical mirror, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in the land is fairest of all?” The mirror always responds to the queen, “You, my queen, are the fairest of all.” Now while I do not own a possessed mirror, nor have any desire to have such an accursed item in my house, I do find myself looking into the mirror and contemplating my image. I am not so much questioning if I am the fairest of them all, but rather questioning if I am reflecting Christ. I know I mentioned this yesterday when talking about Moses’ shiny features as a result of hanging out in God’s presence, but today I want to go a little deeper.
Yesterday, I think God really began to make this thought clear to me. If you have known me for any length of time, you have heard me share a few of the low points in my life. Now the good news is that in those low levels God never left me alone. He was right there with me, pushing me to be better and wanting me to surrender myself to Him so He could rebuild me. But I was the one who was hesitant. In some areas I didn’t want change. In other areas, I was afraid of change. Change hurts because it involves the stripping away of everything that I have used to mask my pain just so the root of the pain can be exposed. Why would I want to lay aside my ‘safety’ just to be exposed? Yet God has been making Himself real to me. God has been showing me my pride, my pain, my inadequacies, my junk. I have been looking in the mirror recently and finding a person who can no longer hide behind the facade, but rather wants to come out from behind it.
In this process, I have found II Corinthians 3:18. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” But I cannot leave with just this verse; I must shed a little more light on exactly what God is pointing out to me. To do this, I want to look at a few of the Greek words. The word ‘unveiled’ is ANAKALUPTO, meaning open. ‘Faces’ is the word PROSOPON, which while it means face, it also means the inward thoughts and feelings. Already a new light to this scripture is seen. I am one who has been reflecting my own pains, but God wants me to reflect in my face, as well as in my inward thoughts and feelings, His glory, His opinion and view, His DOXA. This can only be done by surrendering to His transformation. In Greek, the word is METAMORPHOO, which is where we get metamorphosis. This is the same word used in Romans 12:2, where Paul writes that we must be renewed in our mind. Only after this transformation can we be made in His image, His EIKON.
When I look in the mirror, I do not see the fairest, most handsome, well-built, muscular, great haired guy. I see far from it, actually. But there is one person I am starting to see a little more of. I am starting to see a little more of God, because I am starting to allow myself to be exposed to Him, putting myself on His operation table and asking Him to make me in His image in every area. It hurts to be worked on; it’s embarrassing to be exposed. The finished product, however, will reflect Him if I simply surrender.

I want to share this clip with you that has honestly been a launching point for me to see just how much I have been holding on to, and how much more from Him I need worked on still. Please enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhfUzodLRvk