Embracing the Possibility of Change.

“I do not recall another period when ‘faith’ was as popular as it is today.  ‘If only we believe hard enough, we’ll make it somehow.’  So goes the popular chant.  What you believe is not important.  Only believe....  What is overlooked in all this is that faith is good only when it engages Truth; when it is made to rest upon falsehood, it can and often does lead to eternal tragedy.  For it is not enough that we believe; we must believe the right thing about the right One.”— A.W. Tozer.

I absolutely love this quote from Tozer, a profoundly spiritual man, as passionate a seeker of the heart of God as any man in the 20^th century.  Most of us are acutely aware of just how dangerous post-modern life can be— at certain times and definitely in certain places: in Syria, St. Louis, the crosshairs of the NSA— thus most of us have no problem accepting the realism: Who you trust matters!  Along this same line, we should have no problem understanding, from an eternal perspective: What you believe matters!  Because what you believe is what you will live out of, plain and simple.  Be careful what you allow into your heart ...cause what you put into your heart {the centre of your soul} will come out in your life.  What we believe, have faith in, rest our trust upon, matters— immensely.  Especially concerning the possibility of change, the reshaping of our souls and remolding of our minds into the Master’s image.  And the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection Power to accomplish this end, the Spirit of the Risen Christ alive and well within us.

When we talk about embracing the possibility of change, and the radical reality of it, we’re not talking about the power of positive thinking.  We’re talking about looking to the living, breathing, abiding Word of God {Heb. 4:12}, letting it fill our hearts and minds with its wisdom, and choosing in the strength and authority of the Spirit of God, to act on it.  To live, to love, to forgive, to feel {yes feel} all those things we’ve been running from, hiding our heads under our pillows and hoping will go away, masking over with too much food and too much drink, with anger and arrogance and drugs and shopping and sex, with idol after idol.

The Love of God is a consuming fire, and a consuming fire is the only thing strong enough to destroy our idolatries and to heal our addictions.  The Love of God consumed our sin on the Cross; it can consume our shame if we will let it; it will consume the lies which have been eating away like a cancer in our souls, sabotaging us every step of the Way.  Finally, His Love consumes our hatred and our bitterness by the glory of His forgiveness.  The Cross is the soul-solution to the bitterness springing up from inside of us.

I love how Peterson puts Hebrews 12:28-29 in The Message.  “Do you see what we’ve got?  An unshakable Kingdom!  And do you see how thankful we must be?  Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God.  For God is not an indifferent bystander.  He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and He won’t quit until it’s all cleansed.  God Himself is Fire!” {Heb. 12:28-29}.  Amen and amen.  Come, Lord Jesus ...and purify us by the fire of Your Love! 

HJC	Ric Webb  |  Shepherd Heart’s Journey Community 9621 Tall Timber Blvd. |  Little Rock, AR 72204 t +1.501.455.0296
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Heart’s Journey – Live Generously and Love Graciously